In a Perfect World
by SmilesSaveLives
Summary: Stevie Rae was never marked. She still lives in Henrietta with her family and best friend, Zoey. However, when a secretive guy moves with his brothers to her small town, her perfect little world gets turned upside down. Rated T cause it's my first fanfic and I'm paranoid. Please R&R!
1. Chapter 1

House of Night Fanfiction

In a Perfect World

Summary:

Stevie Rae was never marked. She still lives in Henrietta with her family and best friend, Zoey. However, when a secretive guy moves with his brothers to her small town, her perfect little world gets turned upside down.

**A/N**

**Hi! I'm SmilesSaveLives, and this is my first fanfic, so I would really appreciate it if you reviewed. This is the first chapter, and it's more of a meet-the-characters chapter. The next one will be better and start to give more of the plot. I'll shut up now so you can read, but first a disclaimer!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own HON (*sobs*). I do not own the characters (*hugs Rephaim and sobs*), except maybe Waya, Chander, Dhiren, and Billy (*hugs Billy*). Basically, I don't own!**

**~Smiley**

* * *

Chapter 1

"Rephaim, you seriously need to get out more."

Rephaim looked up from the book he was reading to find his younger brother, Nisroc, staring at him disapprovingly. Currently, they were in the living room of the little house Rephaim had just bought for himself, Nisroc, Waya, Chander, Dhiren, and the youngest of the six brothers, Billy. No, that wasn't his actual name, but he preferred to be called that. Rephaim supposed it was his way of coping.

"Why do you say that?"

"Because all you ever do is sit in here and read or work in your car repair shop," Nisroc said, crossing his arms over his chest. Rephaim looked back down at the book on his lap. "And whenever you do go out you ignore the people around you and hardly talk at all. The girls are fawning over you, and if they try to talk to you, you just sit there and nod until they get frustrated and go away!"

"I'm a mechanic, Nisroc. It's kind of the job that puts food on the table and a roof over your head," Rephaim said, without looking up at Nisroc and continuing to read. He ignored the rest of what Nisroc said, knowing it was true.

"Yeah, but that's not healthy. You're like twenty. You should have a girlfriend, or at the very least friends to party with or something."

"Look, I'm not interested in dating right now and you know it. And I can't stay up all night partying because I have five little brothers to keep out of trouble," Rephaim said and, realizing Nisroc wasn't going to give up, put the book on the side table.

"Oh, c'mon. That's such bull. Every single guy on the planet wants to date at your age, and you're telling me you're not interested?"

"Yes. Maybe that's because every other guy on the planet doesn't have brothers to keep safe from _him._"

"Point taken. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't be _interested,_" Nisroc insisted. _Does he _ever_ give up?_ Rephaim thought, exasperated.

"Look, I'm more concerned about keeping this family safe and making sure you guys get through school than if I have a girlfriend or not," Rephaim said, trying to keep his voice in control and not show any sign of the annoyance he was feeling.

Nisroc sighed. "You still have to get out more."

Rephaim ignored him. Instead of getting annoyed or angry, he simply asked, "Where are the others?"

"Ummm…" Nisroc thought for a moment. "Waya's outside riding his horse, Chander and Dhiren are studying for their exams on Monday, and I have no clue where Billy is."

"That can't be good," Rephaim said as he stood up. As the oldest, his brothers were his responsibility. He had just turned twenty, but from the time he had turned eighteen, he'd been taking care of his little brothers. Nisroc wasn't even eighteen yet, but he still hated the constant moving. Rephaim hoped moving them to this little town would practically make them invisible, especially from _him_. Waya was sixteen, and didn't really care where he was one way or another, as long as he was within walking distance of a horse. When Rephaim had bought two when they moved to the new town, Waya had immediately claimed one as his own. The twins, Chander and Dhiren, were fifteen, and were always fine as long as they were together. However, Billy was only twelve, and he had a knack for getting into trouble.

"Rephaim, where are you going?" Nisroc asked as Rephaim walked towards the front door.

"To make sure Billy doesn't get into trouble in the five seconds we've been here for," he answered as he swung open the door.

"I'm in love! I'm in love and I don't care who knows it!" Billy exclaimed as he waltzed through the open door spinning around as he shouted the quote from the Christmas movie, _Elf_, sounding just like the Will Ferrell did in the movie.

"Speak of the devil," Nisroc muttered.

"Where the hell have you been, Billy?" Rephaim demanded in his most authority-filled voice, which usually made Billy cringe and throw a half-hearted comment at him.

But today, Billy grabbed onto his oldest brothers arm and said in an awe-struck voice, "I've died and gone to heaven, three times today, for the same angel has sang me into bliss."

Did Rephaim mention Billy was also the most dramatic?

"Is he high or something?" Nisroc asked, laughing.

"I'm soaring high above the clouds because I've met an angel, and she's given me her wings," Billy said as he swooned.

"Do you think I should take him to the doctor?" Rephaim asked, feeling Billy's forehead.

"Yes! Oh, please, yes! Take me to the love doctor, and I shall be cured of my longing for her, so long as she is the doctor!"

"He's lost it," Nisroc said, taking a seat on the couch. "We should just put him out of his misery."

"I'll only be out of my misery when I see her again, and I never, ever leave!" Billy exclaimed, spinning around again and then smelling the two yellow roses in his hand.

Rephaim looked down at his brother, who was laying on the ground, picking the petals off one of the roses one by one, practically singing, "She loves me; she loves me not; she loves me; she loves me not…"

"Dear God," Rephaim said.

"He's delirious," Nisroc said.

"Yup," Rephaim agreed.

"Maybe he's imagining this 'angel,'" Nisroc teased, knowing he'd get a reaction out of Billy.

"I AM NOT!" Billy shouted, springing to his feet. "She's as real as you or me, but she's definitely an angel on earth," he said, voice softening as he thought of her.

"What's going on?" Chander asked, running into the room.

"Is he back? We heard shouting," Dhiren added, rushing in behind his twin.

"Relax. No, he's not back. Billy's just being ridiculous," Rephaim explained.

"I AM NOT! You would be in love too if you met her!"

Nisroc hit his forehead. "He's a goner. Cupid's shot him through the heart, and now he's lost to us. Better just say our good-byes now, 'cause it won't be long before he's rejected and too lovesick to go on."

"You're all just jealous because I saw her first."

"Billy, how can we be jealous over someone we haven't even met?" Chander asked.

"And why would we want someone you've already drooled all over?" Dhiren added.

"A thousand men could drool over her and a thousand more would still come and want her," Billy insisted.

"Now you're just being stupid, Billy. How old is this 'angel' anyway?" Rephaim asked, forever the voice of reason out of the six brothers, although only five were in the room.

"I don't know! Why would I ask how old she is? What kind of pick up line would that be? I have to be cool around her," Billy said.

Nisroc was trying hard to look like he wasn't trying to hold in a laugh.

"Is she around your age?" Rephaim asked.

"Age is but a number, and I have no love of math!" Billy exclaimed.

Nisroc was turning purple.

"Which means she's older than you," Rephaim said.

"Why does it matter, _Dad_? Want her to yourself?"

Nisroc fell to the floor laughing.

"Stop being ridiculous, Billy. You're only twelve, so obviously it matters if you're acting like an idiot over someone who's sixteen." Rephaim tried to stay calm and speak in a reasonable, adult voice, but he really hated it when Billy called him Dad.

"I don't care how old she is! I'm in love! Why can't you be happy for me?" Billy said.

Nisroc was writhing on the floor from too much laughter and lack of oxygen.

"Breathe, Nisroc, before I kick air into you. And Billy, just be quiet for a second," Rephaim said, rubbing his temples.

The twins looked at everyone in the room: Rephaim, who looked ready to explode, Nisroc, who was having another laughing fit, and Billy, who was back on the floor picking the petals off a rose. Waya walked in the back door that led to the backyard and said, "Hey, guys. What's up?"

The twins looked at each other, nodded, said to Rephaim, "Good luck," and bolted back into their room.

Waya looked at the remaining three in the room, then said, "I don't wanna know," and walked right back out the door, leaving Rephaim to deal with his mess of a brother and the hyena rolling on the floor.

Billy had three petals left on the flower. "She loves me not; she loves me; she loves me…not. Oh, what does a flower know anyway? I have to see her again!" Billy got up with the intact flower and started towards the door.

"Whoa, where do you think you're going?" Rephaim asked, catching Billy by the elbow.

"Back to my love," he answered as if it were obvious.

Rephaim glance at Nisroc, who was still rolling on the floor. "Fine. Where is she?" Rephaim asked.

"At the diner. Her mom owns the place; she works there," Billy answered excitedly.

Rephaim sighed. "Fine. I haven't eaten dinner yet anyway."

"You're going to take me?" Billy asked, a smile spreading across his face.

"I guess so," Rephaim said.

"In your car?"

"Well I'm not going to ride the horses into town."

"Awesome! Let's go!" Billy exclaimed, dragging his brother out the door.

"Bring me back something!" Nisroc called from his spot on the floor. Rephaim closed the door on Nisroc, who was still gasping for air, without answering him.

"Hey, Rephaim?" Billy asked as they walked over to the car that was parked outside the garage.

"What?" Rephaim asked, not bothering to hide his annoyance.

"Can I drive?" Billy asked hopefully.

"No. You're twelve." Rephaim said, moving around Billy and jumping over the door into the convertible.

"C'mon! It's not like I don't know how! And girls like guys with cars!" Billy complained, but jumped into the passenger seat.

"Well, it's not legal, and I don't need to get pulled over when we haven't even finished unpacking. So that's just too bad, you'll have to settle for using that charm you're just overflowing with," Rephaim said, while he backed out of the driveway.

"Right. I'll use my charm and smoking hot looks." Billy twirled the flower around his finger like he would a drumstick.

Rephaim just rolled his eyes and drove down the street. "So what's this girl's name anyway?"

* * *

**A/N**

**Okay, I'm really hoping that 1) someone will read this and 2) someone will review. I can't do anything if no one reads this, but I can try to get someone to review. So (drumroll please) … can anyone guess who **_**he**_** is and who Billy is so in love with. Also, please let me know if there are any typos or anything I can do to make my writing better; I would be really grateful. Please review! (*smiles hopefully*)**

**~Smiley**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N (sorry it's a little long)**

**Thanks soooooo much to Ilovestark for being my first reviewer EVER! OMG! I was afraid no one would read it so thanks sooooooo much for reviewing! You are completely right, it would be a little impossible for Rephaim to be a mechanic (it comes into play later in the story). However, in this fanfic, everyone is human, and he can go outside in the sun (though he still prefers the night). Also, in this story, Zoey and her family moved to Henrietta a year or two ago, and Stevie Rae and Zoey have been BFFs ever since. If you keep reading, I promise it will all make sense; I just don't want to give too much away right now. Once again, thanks for being my first reviewer! :D**

**Thanks also to heather, my second reviewer EVER! Thanks, I tried to give an intro to most of the main/secondary characters, so I'm glad you liked it. I'll try not to disappoint! :D**

**To houseofnightfan, flowergirl, vampirelover18, Rephaims1Fan, and IloveZimandNny16,**

**Thanks sooo much for the positive feedback. Houseofnightfan, you and IloveZimandNny16 are right: Stevie Rae is the girl Billy is obsessed with. Flowergirl: Rephaim is just an epic character of massive proportions (Translation: my fav character too. I also like Stevie Rae). Vampirelover18: Thanks for the encouragement/tip. I'll try to include Nisroc some more then. Rephaims1Fan: They are my fav couple too! Last but not least, IloveZimandNny16, you are absolutely right… about Stevie Rae. However, I will not tell if you're right about He Who Shall Not Be Named! (*laughs evilly*). Also, I'm glad I made Nisroc like an actual person, and that you like Billy (I've been working really hard on him). Btw please update soon on Forbidden Love in New York. I love that story! :D**

**Anywho, I hope this chapter doesn't suck and that you will all R&R again! :D**

**Disclaimer: To help me out with this, I brought in Billy Black (yes, that's their last name).**

**Smiley: So Billy, do I own HON?**

**Billy: (*laughs*) You wish.**

**Smiley: (*sighs*) Yes, yes I do. Do I own any of the characters except you, Waya, Chander, and Dhiren? (*fingers crossed for a yes to Rephaim*)**

**Billy: Only in your dreams, fangirl.**

**Smiley: Yes, I am a fangirl! And I'm proud!**

**Billy: Whatever. You still don't own anything.**

**Smiley: (*sighs again*) Unfortunately…**

**~Smiley**

* * *

Chapter 2

Rephaim pulled up next to the little diner on the corner of the street, and Billy practically flew out of the car. He bounced up and down, saying, "We're here! We're here!"

"I thought you wanted to seem cool?" Rephaim teased, chuckling.

Billy immediately stopped bouncing. "Right. Cool," Billy said, sliding up next to Rephaim. Rephaim rolled his eyes at him. "Does my hair look okay?" Billy asked.

"Billy, your hair is too short to be messy," Rephaim said, rubbing his hand back and forth over Billy's buzz cut.

"Stop that," Billy complained, rubbing his unmoved hair back into place. "What if she's looking out the window and sees?"

Rephaim laughed and pulled his little brother into a headlock, rubbing his head again. "Then she'll see this and lose all possible interest in you!" he teased while Billy flailed and pulled away.

"Don't do that!" Billy shouted, which made Rephaim laugh.

"What? This?" Rephaim said and went to grab Billy again.

"No, no, no!" Billy said and scrambled out reach. Rephaim laughed even harder than he had before.

"That's not cool, dude," Billy complained. "You're supposed to be my wingman."

"Well, _dude_," Rephaim said, play punching Billy in the arm, "I might be a better wingman if I knew what that was."

Billy rolled his eyes. "A wingman is someone who makes guy trying to impress the girl look good. For example, they let them borrow some money so they can pay for the dinner."

"Why would I give you money? I already gave you your allowance this week," Rephaim said.

"Because it's cooler to pay for the dinner. Duh," Billy said.

"And why would I give you money one, just to look cool, two, when you 'duh' me and three, what did you do with your allowance?"

"Ummm… I spent it," Billy said, looking guilty.

"Where?" Rephaim asked, using his aggravated big-brother tone.

"Here…" Billy said sheepishly.

"You are hopeless," Rephaim said.

"I am not!" Billy defended. "So what do you say?"

"Maybe… but only if you say please."

"Ppplllllleeeeaaaasssseee!" Billy said, putting on his best innocent-little-brother face. Unfortunately, Rephaim was a sucker for the puppy-dog eyes.

"Okay, fine. You need all the help you can get." Rephaim rolled his eyes as he dug into his pocket to fish out some cash.

"Thanks! Wait—hey!" Billy said as they walked into the little diner. But Billy quickly forgot all about Rephaim when he saw her washing dishes behind the bar-like table, and he gravitated toward her like a moth would be drawn to a light. Rephaim simply followed him, trying hard not to roll his eyes even though the girl's back was turned.

She was small and thin, and blond. _Maybe she could be his age_, Rephaim thought hopefully. He didn't want to deal with what would happen if she was too old and he had to put a leash on Billy. Her blond curls barely reached her shoulders, and she wore a black apron over her roper jeans and had a black t-shirt on. She hummed a song Rephaim didn't know while she washed the dishes, which she seemed to have a steady rhythm to. It was kind of like the dishes she was washing were the instruments played in the song she was humming.

The table was like a crescent around her, and she was the rest of the moon. The rest of the diner was pretty nice too, and a couple families sat and laughed and ate dinner in the booths by the windows. Rephaim felt a quick stab of envy before he continued to look around the diner. The dark brown wood used in the furniture and walls made the red seats pop, and gave the entire place a nice cozy effect.

"Hey beautiful," Billy said as he slid into a seat at the "bar." Rephaim just took the seat next to him. It was all he could do to keep from laughing when she didn't even turn around. When that didn't work he bit his lower lip. "She must not have heard me," Billy whispered to Rephaim after a couple moments. "Hey! Are you laughing?"

"Nope," Rephaim said, shaking his head but laughing through his eyes.

"Whatever. Just don't embarrass me," Billy whispered.

"I'm sure you don't need my help to do that, Billy," Rephaim whispered back.

Billy punched his arm. Then, as Billy would say, the angel started to sing.

_I'll escape, one day… _

_I know, there's a way…_

_To be free, one day…_

_And I'll find my way!_

_Yeah I'll find my way!_

_One… day…_

Billy was sighing with his hands holding his face. Rephaim was staring open mouthed at the girl who could sing like… well, like an angel—an angel with an Okie twang.

_My mama told me…_

_Baby girl, you'll see…_

_And Daddy told me…_

_I'll see who to be…_

_My brothers told me…_

_Freedom's got a fee…_

_So then I told me…_

_I'll pay it, they'll see!_

Rephaim was still awestruck. This girl had talent, but Billy hadn't even told him her name. He didn't even know the song but he after hearing her sing it, it was his new favorite. Billy was in la la land, lost in her voice and obvious beauty (even from behind) instead of the words.

_So I'm gone, today…_

_Don't miss me, today…_

'_Cause I've found my way!_

_And I'm free, today…_

_It's a price, I'll pay…_

_Now you'll hear me say!_

_Yes you'll hear me say!_

_That I've found…my…way…_

Her voice trailed off, making it obvious she was done. Billy burst into applause, and Rephaim smiled. The girl spun around and blushed bright scarlet. Rephaim's awe was renewed. He had never seen such a beautiful girl in his life. Not that he had ever paid much attention to the girls throwing themselves at him, but still. Her perfect blond curls were other-worldly, and her bright blue eyes were captivatingly stunning. Rephaim had to admit he was impressed; Billy had certainly found an angel on earth. Oh, who was he kidding? An angel could never compare to the beauty that stood in front of him.

"Billy! How long have you been there for?" the girl demanded.

"Since you went from humming to singing," Billy answered, smiling.

"So is it against your religion or something to clear your throat before you sneak up behind somebody?" she asked, half-angry and half-joking.

"Absolutely. But I didn't sneak up on you, and I did say something; you just didn't hear me," Billy defended.

"You know I can't hear nothin' when the water's runnin'," she said.

"Apparently. But it's not my fault you just so happen to have the water running when I walked in. And it's not my fault you just so happened to break out in song when I was sitting here. And it's not my fault you're too good a singer to interrupt," Billy said.

She frowned and narrowed her eyes at him. He just made a stupid face at her. Then she laughed. "Whatever. You want the usual?"

"Yes, please!"

She laughed again. "It's getting kinda late. Should I make the coffee decaff?"

"No! The caffeine gives me a buzzy feeling!" Billy cried, which made the girl laugh even harder.

"You drink coffee?" Rephaim asked Billy. No wonder he was so hyper all the time.

"Maybe," Billy said, looking down.

"Maybe? You've been in here three times today and order the same thing: a rare double cheeseburger and black coffee with two sugars!" the girl said, still laughing.

"So now I know where you've disappeared to all day," Rephaim muttered.

"Hi, I'm Stevie Rae," the girl said, offering him one of her small, thin hands from across the counter. "You must be one of Billy's brothers he was tellin' me so much about. It's nice to meet ya…"

"Rephaim," he said, taking her soft hand in his own large, hard one and completing her sentence when her voice trailed off.

"Rephaim," she repeated, smiling warmly at him. They kept on shaking hands, staring into each other's eyes, until Billy cleared his throat and they both jerked away, suddenly becoming very interested in the ground.

"So what can I get for ya?" Stevie Rae twanged perfectly, now blushing for a completely different reason.

"He wants a double cheeseburger too," Billy said for him, much too quickly. Rephaim just nodded, hardly looking at her.

"Okie dokie. That'll be ready in just a sec," she said, looking at Rephaim, who refused to meet her gaze, for a second more before walking into the kitchen.

"Isn't she beautiful?" Billy gushed, supporting his head with his hands.

"Sure. She doesn't look older than sixteen at least," Rephaim said.

"Sure? That's all you've got? C'mon even you, Mr. Anti-Social, can do better than that," Billy said.

"What do you want from me? To completely say how head-over-heels in love I am with the girl I haven't said more than one word to? Fine! She's more beautiful than you said. An angel is nothing compared to her, not in looks, and especially not with a voice like her's. And to top it all off, she actually seems like a good person. Is that what you want?" Rephaim whispered fiercely.

Billy just nodded like that should've been obvious, which made Rephaim want to bang his head against the counter. Then Billy just looked at him expectantly.

"What?" Rephaim asked, clearly annoyed.

"And…?"

"And what?"

"And don't I know how to pick and find the best girls around?"

This time, Rephaim did bang his head against the counter.

"I'm taking that as a yes." Rephaim sighed.

"Just promise me something," Billy continued.

"What?" Rephaim asked, picking his head up.

"That you won't try and steal my girl. I saw her first."

"Trust me, I won't," Rephaim said. Like he had told Nisroc, he wasn't interested in dating right now.

Then Stevie Rae came out of the kitchen, carrying two plates on one arm. "Here ya go," she twanged, sliding the two plates off her arm and in front of the brothers gracefully. Billy immediately dug in, stuffing his face with a huge bite of cheeseburger, and Rephaim picked at a couple French Fries after mumbling a thanks.

"So, Stevie Rae," Billy said with his mouth full. He swallowed it quickly before he said, "What's new?"

"Something new? That's pretty hard considerin' you practically walked out the door and then walked back in with your brother," she said, then twirled one of her curls around a finger, thinking. "Well, in 'bout two seconds my friend is gonna cover the rest of my shift so I can go out."

_One…_

"Oh," Billy said, trying to cover his disappointment. _Unsuccessfully_, Rephaim thought.

_Two…_

The little bell at the door chimed and a girl with long, black hair strolled into the little diner. _Nice timing_, Rephaim thought.

"Where are you going?" Billy asked.

"Oh, Dallas and I are gonna go over to the dance club in the next town," Stevie Rae answered.

"Who's Dallas?" Billy asked.

"Only her super-hot-cowboy of a boyfriend," Zoey said, walking up to them.

"Hey, Z!" Stevie Rae said, smiling at her friend. She was focused on Zoey so she didn't see the flask of heartbreak that crossed Billy's face before being replaced by his usual smile. She started to untie the apron around her waist. "Billy and Rephaim, this is Zoey. Zoey, this is Billy, and that's Rephaim," she introduced, gesturing to each person as she said their name.

"Hi, nice to meet you!" Zoey said, taking the apron from Stevie Rae and tying it around her own waist, then offering each of them a hand.

"Hi, I'm Billy!" Billy said, shaking her offered hand.

Rephaim just nodded and said, "Rephaim."

Then Zoey reached into her pocket and pulled out some loose change, and then she threw it into a glass jar on the edge of the counter.

"Z, you don't have to do that," Stevie Rae said.

"Yes I do. You have to get to that college somehow," Zoey said.

"College?" Rephaim asked.

"Yup. Stevie Rae was accepted to Juilliard, so now she's working here to save up so she can go."

"Why? Are you surprised?" Stevie Rae asked.

Rephaim blinked. "No, no. That's great that you're saving up for college. You just don't look older than sixteen."

Stevie Rae giggled. "Well, nope. I turned eighteen last month."

"Oh. Happy late birthday then."

"Thanks." Stevie Rae smiled.

Outside, a car horn honked and Stevie Rae jumped and grinned.

"That's him. See y'all later!" she said, hugging Zoey and rubbing Billy's fuzzy head. "Thanks again, Z. See ya 'round, Billy. Nice meetin' you, Rephaim!" she called as she ran out the door.

"Wait!" Zoey shouted. "I saw your dad on my way here. He told me to ask you if you have the pepper spray!"

"Nope. I don't need it, and I kinda lost it. Shhh…" she said, putting a finger to her lips and smiling as she backed out the door.

They could see her through the window as she got inside a car and drove away. Everyone was silent for a couple seconds, and then Zoey said, "I'm gonna go check on the other customers."

"Okay," Billy answered. Rephaim just grunted a little bit.

When she was out of earshot, Billy whispered, "I can't believe she's cheating on me."

"Billy, you were never going out," Rephaim said.

"Yes we were! I just hadn't told her yet…"

Rephaim put a hand on his brother's shoulder. "She was too old for you anyway."

"Age doesn't matter…" Billy protested weakly.

"Yes it does. C'mon, let's go home," Rephaim said, guiding Billy off the stool and leaving a twenty on the counter.

Billy sighed. "Okay…" he said, looking down at the ground. He stared at the floor until they were out of the diner, and then he perked up suddenly and screamed, "That's it!"

"What's it?" Rephaim asked, surprised at Billy's sudden outburst. Usually he sulks longer than this.

"You, my wingman, have to follow her!" Billy exclaimed, smiling brightly.

"Billy, why the hell would I stalk her?" Rephaim asked, completely confused. Then again, when wasn't it confusing around Billy?

"It's not stalking! It's just following her and watching her on her date. You just have to make sure that Dallas doesn't try anything on my girl!"

"Billy, you just defined stalking. And she isn't even your—" Rephaim was cut off when Billy put a hand over his mouth.

"Yes, she is! And because you're my wingman, _who can drive_, you just have to follow her on her date!"

"Billy, I'm not going to stalk her."

"_C'mon_! Pleeeeeaaaaase!" Billy begged with big brown puppy-dog eyes.

"No! Not the face!" Rephaim said, covering his eyes. When he peeked, Billy was still begging and his eyes were even a little shiney. "Okay, fine. But you so owe me."

"Yay! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Billy said, normal again as he hugged Rephaim and bounced a little bit.

"How am I supposed to justify this?" Rephaim said.

"You're just going to make sure she's safe. That's all. You don't have to talk to her or anything. And she doesn't even have to see you," Billy said.

Rephaim rolled his eyes as they got into the car. "Fine. I'll drive you home and then go _see_ how she is. But if I can't find her, that's just a little too bad."

"Good enough for me!" Billy said as they headed back to their little house.

* * *

**A/N**

**Okay, that's chapter 2! Let me know how I did and what I could do to make it better! Or, if not, just review anyway! Also, can I pretty please have some feedback on the "song" I wrote up there? I'm not sure if I'm allowed to use actual songs (I don't think I am), so I just typed that up last night and threw it in there 'cause Stevie Rae wants to be a country singer. Nevertheless, please review!**

**~Smiley**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N**

**Special thanks to heather and IloveZimandNny16, who reviewed the second chapter as well as the first! Your support means so much and I love reading your reviews (and ANYONE's reviews, just so we're clear!)**

**Btw, I am also going to write another fanfic, while continuing this one. The options are at the bottom, so please vote!**

**Okay, chapter three is coming, but first there must be a disclaimer:**

**Smiley: Do I own HON or its amazing characters?**

**P.C. and Kristen Cast (the fabulous authors from another dimension who have decided to gift us with the honor of being able to read HON): No. They are and will always be ours. And that includes Rephaim (*evil laugh*)**

**Smiley: NOOOOOOOOOOO! Rephaim! (*sobs*) But I guess it's for the best because you guys are better at writing.**

**P.C. and Kristen Cast (TFAFADWHDTGUWTHOBATRHON): Thank you, crazed fangirl.**

**Smiley: :D**

Chapter 3

Billy talked on and on about Stevie Rae as Rephaim drove them home. By then, the sun had set and the crescent moon was shining high above them. As Billy kept talking and gushing and being a typical Billy (aka annoying), all Rephaim could think about was his own stupidity in letting Billy talk him into stalking Stevie Rae. Rephaim just knew this would end badly. At the very least, Rephaim would end up not getting caught and have to live with the guilt that her smile would multiply every time he walked into that diner. At most, he would get caught; Stevie Rae would get mad, call him a creeper and some other things, and file for a restraining order. Then he and his brothers would have to move. Again. Because there was no way that wouldn't end up in the paper, and there was no way _he_ wouldn't notice something like that.

Nevertheless, Rephaim couldn't bring himself to break Billy's little heart, which had been through enough without this, and went inside to grab a jacket before he headed out again. Unfortunately, that also meant dealing with Nisroc.

"So what did you bring me?" Nisroc asked when he opened the door before Rephaim could even pull out his keys.

"What do you mean?" Rephaim asked as he and Billy walked through the open door.

"You're kidding me, right? You didn't bring me back _any_ food?" Nisroc said, checking behind Rephaim's back to make sure he wasn't just hiding it from him.

"You can make your own dinner," Rephaim said, walking around Nisroc and down the hallway.

"Yeah, but it was late, and I asked you to bring me back something," Nisroc said, following Rephaim into his room.

"I'm sorry, but I didn't hear you over the loud, obnoxious, maniacal laughter coming from the hyena on the floor," Rephaim said as he grabbed his black leather jacket off his bed.

"Wait, where are you going now?" Nisroc asked as Rephaim pulled the jacket on. Rephaim could've looked like a dark angel with his long black hair with the raven feathers braided into its length, black shirt, jacket, jeans, and sneakers, except he didn't have any wings.

"I'm just doing something for Billy," Rephaim answered, staring down Nisroc, who was blocking the doorway, challenging him to not move.

"OH NO!" They heard Billy scream. Rephaim heart jumped to his throat, and all of the brothers' eyes widened, fearing the worst as Nisroc and Rephaim ran from his room, Chander and Dhiren ran from their room, and Waya ran from his room into the living room where Billy stood, staring at the yellow rose in his hand.

"Billy!" Waya yelled.

"What happened?" Chander asked.

"What's wrong?" Dhiren asked at the same time as Chander.

"Is he back?" Nisroc asked; his eyes still wide with fear.

"What is going on?" Rephaim asked slowly with enough power in his voice to make the house shake. It held an authority that made all of them shut up in fear and look at Rephaim, and, at the same time, it comforted them to know someone could protect them and Knew What To Do.

"I-I-I forgot to give Stevie Rae the flower," Billy said, looking ashamed and a little frightened.

The others groaned. "Me and Cobalt are going on a night ride," Waya said, sounding annoyed and leaving, once again, out the back door.

"Billy. You can't just scream that loud unless—" Rephaim started.

"He comes back," Nisroc and the twins finished with the boredom that only comes from repeating the same thing over and over again. Nisroc's shoulders slumped, and the twins cringed at the mention of _him_. Billy stayed silent (a rare occurrence for him) and still looked like a deer caught in headlights, and you could practically see his thoughts swirling around in his head he was so transparent.

"Right." Rephaim's stare took in the entire room, including each and every one of his brothers, minus Waya, of course. "Billy, do you understand? Yelling like that is only for emergencies, and not giving her a flower is not that big of a deal."

Nisroc, Chander, and Dhiren all headed back to their rooms, obviously catching on that nothing exciting was going to happen. Rephaim was in control and not going to flip out, and Billy wasn't going to have a) a panic attack, b) melt under the intense heat of Rephaim's icy stare, or c) run and lock himself up in his room like he does when he's having a moment. Whatever was going to happen, it wasn't going to be amusing, important, or worth their attention. Or so they thought. You see, none of the Blacks knew that what would happen tonight would set off the sequence of events that would change the course of their life forever. And just like that, in that little living room in that tiny house, the first domino was knocked over.

"Billy?" Rephaim asked when they were alone in the cozy living room.

"Yes, Rephaim?" Billy asked slowly and hesitantly, as if he was afraid Rephaim would hurt him if he said anything out of line or just annoyed him.

"I'm not going to hurt you, Billy. You know that, right?" Rephaim said, stepping closer so Billy looked up at him.

"I know. You're not like him," Billy said. Billy went from transparent to simply pale, a small improvement.

"And you know that I'm not angry?" Rephaim questioned.

"No. You're just concerned and worried about us," Billy answered. A little more color returned to his face.

"That's right. You guys always come first."

"Right. Family first." Billy agreed and nodded.

Rephaim gave a small smile. "Because family is forever. And I'm never going to let anything happen to you."

"I know, Rephaim. That's part of the reason you're my favorite brother," Billy said, then wrapped his arms around Rephaim and held fast, just like he had done in what seemed like another lifetime.

Rephaim hugged him right back, one arm holding Billy's upper back and the other holding Billy's head to his chest. Billy could hear Rephaim's steady heartbeat and felt warm and secure, just like he used to when things went bad and he found Rephaim, his own personal eye of the storm.

"Billy?" Rephaim asked after a couple minutes.

"Uh-huh?"

"Do I really have to go?" Rephaim asked.

Billy suddenly perked up. "Yes!" he cried. "Now you have to go more than ever! If you see her and she doesn't notice you, that's great! But if you see her and she sees you, then you have to give her this flower for me!" Billy handed Rephaim the rose quickly and started pushing him towards the door. Rephaim chuckled, thinking of his little brother's strange mood swings. One minute he's upset, the next he's bouncing too much to properly push Rephaim out the door.

"Fine. But if I end up with a restraining order and we have to move again, it's one your conscience," Rephaim said, sighing.

"I can live with that," Billy answered.

"I'm not sure if you'll be able to survive all of Nisroc's complaining," Rephaim warned.

Billy rolled his eyes. "He can't complain someone to death, Rephaim."

"I don't know. He's come pretty close. I'm lucky to be alive," Rephaim said.

"Go!" Billy said, pushing Rephaim out the door.

"Okay, okay. I'm leaving. Stay out of trouble," Rephaim said.

"That's a good one," Billy said, laughing and closing the door. Rephaim started his car and set out for the second time that day, with only the moon left to witness what was going to happen next.

**A/N**

**Okay, so that was a little family fluff. Just a little. Nothing compared to what I have planned for the next chapter if I get some reviews. In other words, I would really love some reviews!**

**However, I would also like some votes. I have a bunch of ideas for other fanfics, but if no one votes (I cry at the thought), I will just choose a random one to start on. So, voting time! Just vote in the reviews (yet another reason to!). Here are your choices:**

**Behind the Scenes**

**Description (not actual summary): Okay, so a lot of the Stephaim scenes are cut off in **_**Destined**_** (Spoilers!). So, I want to elaborate on their story a little bit. It will start after **_**Awakened **_**and end… I don't know where. When I run out of extra scenes I'll wait for **_**Hidden**_** to come out. Anyway, vote if you want their scenes to just last a little longer!**

**The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet**

**Description: Yes, this is an HON fanfic. No, it is not a crossover. It only revolves around Rephaim and Stevie Rae, and the plot is mostly **_**Romeo and Juliet**_**. Act by act, scene by scene, I will create a Stephaim version of **_**Romeo and Juliet**_**, the most famous play in all of literature. I will also be adding scenes from my imagination wherever I see fit. Stevie Rae's father and brothers are going to be cops and Rephaim's dad and brothers are going to be the criminals they can never prove committed the crimes. Most of the HON characters will be involved (I will tell you everyone's roles), so vote if you want action, drama, and a heck of a lot of fluff!**

**Camping and Drama: The Perfect Combination**

**Description: Most of the main characters decide to go camping to try and take a break from the stress of Tulsa and the House of Night. Meanwhile, Shaunee and Erin are still fighting, Thanatos and Kalona may or may not have feelings for each other, Aphrodite is blackmailed into letting Stevie Rae dress her, Stark is forced to stay three feet away from Zoey at all times, Stevie Rae gets caught in the middle of father/son drama, and Thanatos reveals a dark secret. Vote if you like drama, hurt/comfort, and a little bit of humor (or at least my attempt at being funny)!**

**What I Can't Say**

**Description: What if it never happened? Neferet didn't see Rephaim at Jack's funeral, and a their fairytale happily-ever-after never occurred. Now Neferet is still moving forward with her evil plan, and Kalona believes he is still under her control. But when Neferet orders them to kidnap Stevie Rae, what will Rephaim do? Can he stand back and watch her be abused by both Neferet and his father—or worse, take part in her capture? Will he be able to save her from his own father—will he even be strong enough to choose? And most importantly, will he ever tell her how he really feels? Vote is you heart fluff, action, and drama!**

**Okay, so there are your choices! I have more ideas, but I'll spare you until I have a clearer vision of what they should be. Anyway, please, please, please vote! And please, please, please review!**

**~Smiley**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N**

**Thanks to IloveZimandNny16, who was the only person to vote/review for the last chapter. Please, R&R again. And to anyone else, pretty please R&R!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own HON!**

**~Smiley**

Chapter 4

Stevie Rae just loved spending time with Dallas. She knew she was lucky to have him as a boyfriend. The entire ride there they joked around and laughed. She knew he understood her better than anyone else in that town, but… Wait—why was there a but?

She loved spending time with him. Period. She knew he was lucky to have him as a boyfriend. Period. He was funny and kind and they laughed the entire ride there. Period. She knew he understood her better than anyone else in that town. Period. The end. Nothing further. Absolutely no ands, buts, or ors about it. Right? Right?

Wrong. Dallas didn't understand why she wanted to get out of Henrietta so bad. He didn't understand why she loved to sing and dance so much. But he still took her out dancing when she asked him to. That had to count for _something_. Right? Right?

Wrong. Dallas was a great friend, but he wasn't like a _boyfriend_. Or, at least he wasn't like Stevie Rae thought a boyfriend would be like. Sure, they'd kissed and whatnot, but he never brought her a sunflower on a rainy day or waited in the restaurant for hours just because he wanted to catch a glimpse of her or something cheesy but cute like that. And it was her idea to go to the dance club, and she had to practically beg to get him to go with her. Was that how it was supposed to be? Stevie Rae didn't think so.

When they parked outside the dance club and got out, Dallas held Stevie Rae's hand as they walked into the club. Well, it was more like Dallas took Stevie Rae's hand and then she started to drag him into the club.

She also had to drag him onto the dance floor, and it was obvious he wasn't all that into the dancing. He was able to keep up pretty well at least, and she appreciated that he was trying. He even managed to kiss her a couple times while they were still dancing.

When he did this for a third time, she asked, "Are you tryin' to trip me up or something?" _Clap, twirl, right foot forward…_

"Not at all. Why?" Dallas asked, smiling but trying to keep up with the music.

"Because you keep kissin' me and you I can't think straight when you do that." _Spin, clap, left foot forward…_

"What? This?" He leaned over and kissed her again. He missed a step and tried to jump back in. She nodded and continued with the dance, but she felt a little dizzy.

"Nah, I'm only kissin' ya 'cause you're pretty, cutie," he said, managing to fall back in step with the rest of them but still struggling to keep up. Stevie Rae just laughed and kept dancing, trying hard not to think anymore…

It wasn't too hard to find the dance club Stevie Rae had mentioned. In fact, it was the only club for miles. He knew he was close when he heard the music from a couple blocks away, and he decided to park his car by a pond. He couldn't tell how deep it was, but its black waters made it look like a bottomless pit. The only thing it reflected was the moon, which, at a certain angle, looked like it was trying to hook the wooden bridge that stretched over it and carry it up into the stars. Rephaim took a minute to acknowledge the beauty of the place before turning and walking towards the club.

_If I'm lucky, I've found the wrong dance club_, Rephaim thought. But even he knew that was stupid. After all, this was the only dance club in "the next town." It was the only dance club within an hour of Henrietta.

When Rephaim came up to the building, there was no one outside to let him in. No one was there to collect an entry fee or check if he was on "the list." It was different from the other cities he's lived in, but not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, it worked out well for him, considering all he was doing here was stalking some poor girl. When he went inside, he could feel the pulse of the music against his skin, and he had to resist the urge to cover his ears, which were already hurting. Billy would owe him big time if he went deaf, but at least he wouldn't have to listen to Nisroc's complaining or mad-scientist laughter or Billy's constant chatter.

It didn't take long to spot Stevie Rae. She was in the middle of the dance floor with who he assumed was Dallas. Even though Dallas was struggling to keep up, Stevie Rae was dancing like there was no tomorrow. She pulled off moves Rephaim had never seen or heard of without the slightest bit of difficulty. She was graceful and angelic and smiling. It really was no wonder why she had been accepted to Juilliard. Rephaim hoped that she would just be able to get there. She obviously had a lot of talent.

Rephaim walked over to the bar and ordered a glass of water. He sat there and watched her move on the dance floor, just like... twenty-seven other guys, he counted. Eventually, he just drifted off into his own world, there but not really there. He didn't even respond when several girls came up to him and asked if he wanted to dance. Each and every one of them walked away ticked off that he didn't react to them in the slightest. He was just completely out of it; the only thing tethering him to this world was the angel on the dance floor.

"Oh, _c'mon_. You're tired already?" Stevie Rae asked, eyes begging Dallas to stay just a little longer.

"How 'bout you keep dancing and I'll go get a drink or somethin'? Then we can head out," Dallas said, already turning towards the bar.

"Oh, um… okay. I guess that'll work," Stevie Rae said, not bothering to mask that she was upset.

"I'll wait for you over there," Dallas said, pointing towards the back exit. "Just come over when the next song is done." Dallas smiled and squeezed her hand.

"'Kay," Stevie Rae said, faking a smile. Satisfied, Dallas walked over to the bar. Stevie Rae went back to the dance, trying hard not to feel the least bit ditched.

The boy walked away from Stevie Rae and towards him. Crap. Was he coming over here to talk to him? No, he wouldn't come over to him when there was way more guys staring far more obviously at her. In fact, most were drooling. He was probably just coming over to the bar.

Rephaim was right. The only thing Dallas said to him was "Howdy." Rephaim just nodded back, sipping the water in the red plastic cup. Dallas ordered a beer. After he had funneled the first he ordered another. And another.

Meanwhile, Rephaim could see some other guys walking up to Stevie Rae, probably asking her to dance or something. She shook her head at most of them, turning them down politely. Dallas could see this too. Then, a guy just walked up to her and put his hands on her waist. She tried to get him off, but Dallas was too busy ordering another beer to notice this. He only saw her with the guy (who Rephaim could tell from this far away was drunk), and they were dancing. Stevie Rae was just such a skilled dancer that her trying to pull away looked like it was part of the dance.

Finally, Dallas walked (read: stumbled) away from the bar and towards a back exit right before the song ended and Stevie Rae was finally able to escape from the other man's grasp and make her way over to the same exit. Dallas grabbed Stevie Rae's elbow and dragged her out the door. Rephaim counted to ten before walking out the main entrance/exit, trying not to look suspicious.

Dallas was really starting to hurt her. His grip was like an iron clasp, and she had never been handled like that in her life. She never expected Dallas, of all people, to hurt her like that. Maybe he just didn't realize he was holding her so hard. And that he was walking too fast.

"Dallas, you're hurtin' me," Stevie Rae said, trying to pull away a little. Dallas held fast and even tightened his grip, but he didn't look back at her or say a word.

"Dallas, stop. You're hurtin' me," she repeated, a little louder this time.

"Good." She heard him mutter under his breath. Stevie Rae's eyes widened.

"_Excuse_ me? Let go, Dallas," she said, yanking her arm away.

"Why should I?" he asked, grabbing her other arm in an iron-clad grip. "Obviously I can't trust you to not go dancing with another guy the second I'm outta you're sight." Dallas started dragging her farther and farther away from the club.

"What the hell do you mean? And isn't the car that way?" she asked, confused.

Dallas didn't answer and continued to drag her. Finally, they ended up on a bridge stretching over a pond. By now the moon was high in the sky, and she was tempted to jump up and grab onto it and let it carry her away. Something told her she had to get out of there. And fast.

"Like you have no idea what I'm talkin' about. Please," Dallas sneered, and his eyes were wild. She really wished that she hadn't lost/left behing her pepper spray.

"No, I really don't know what you're talkin' 'bout. I didn't dance with any other guy, except that one who—" Stevie Rae started, but was cut off when Dallas slapped her across the face.

"Don't you dare try to lie to me! I know you're a damn cheater, you bitch. That guy even had his hands on your hips! Another couple songs and you would've been makin' out with him in the back of the club!" Dallas shouted.

"No, you don't understand. I—"

"Oh, I understand plenty. It's you who has to understand. You are _my_ girl, got it? Mine and no one else's!" Then his lips crashed into hers, completely smothering her in a possessive kiss.

When he pulled back, Stevie Rae asked, "Dallas, are you drunk?"

"Oh, so now you care."

"Of course I care! If you'll just lemme explain," she sobbed.

Dallas slapped her again. "Yeah, right. I'm done listening to you."

"No. It wasn't like that. I was tryin'—" she tried to say again.

"You damn liar. Give it up! And you know what? You can just drown in your lies!" Dallas shouted, and then pushed her hard. She didn't even have time to react. No time to defend herself, not even time to scream as the side of the bridge broke and she tumbled backwards into the black waters waiting below.

Rephaim was on his way back to his car when he saw her. The guy she was with was dragging her by the elbow towards the pond. It was dark, so she probably wouldn't even know it was there until it was right in front of her.

Rephaim could tell something was wrong. Even before she started to say something, he could tell. It was only confirmed when he saw her yank her arm away. Rephaim walked a little faster, even though they were way ahead of him. He didn't want to put Stevie Rae in more danger by drawing attention to himself. He knew Dallas was drunk. He knew Dallas was angry. And he knew from experience that it wasn't a good combination.

He was halfway to them when they stopped at the bridge. Dallas had pinned Stevie Rae against the side of the wooden bridge, which, now that Rephaim was looking at it, looked pretty old and unstable. He quickened his pace when he saw Dallas hit her.

Even though Rephaim didn't know Stevie Rae very well, the sight of someone hitting her made him mad. He knew firsthand what it was like to be abused, and he hated it when he saw someone else getting to know the feeling. He had to help her.

When Dallas hit her a second time, Rephaim was furious. How dare he? Stevie Rae didn't deserve that! He started to run towards them, but he only got to the start of the bridge when Dallas shoved her back, causing the side of the bridge to break and get swallowed by the water with her. Dallas didn't even have time to register what he'd done when Rephaim got to him.

Rephaim grabbed Dallas's shirt with one hand and readied the other. Dallas suffered several punches to the face before Rephaim realized one very important fact: Stevie Rae had not resurfaced. The thought distracted Rephaim long enough for Dallas to break free and run back to his car.

The second Dallas was gone Rephaim through off his shoes and jacket and dived into the water, which proved to be extremely deep. He opened his eyes, but it didn't help: the water was just too black.

With finding Stevie Rae being his only thought, Rephaim swam straight down to the bottom of where he saw Stevie Rae fall in. The water was cold and dark, but after feeling around the bottom for a couple moments, his hand brushed again something that he knew wasn't sand, rock, or plant. Knowing he had found Stevie Rae, he grabbed her and swam up.

When the finally resurfaced, Stevie Rae clung to Rephaim coughing up the water from her lungs while Rephaim started to paddle to the shore. When he could stand, he slung Stevie Rae over his shoulder until they made it to the soft grass, where he could lay her down.

Her head was bloody and she was still coughing up water, but what scared Rephaim the most was how much she was shivering. He patted her back until she wasn't coughing up anything and murmured, "Stay here."

All Stevie Rae had seen was a dark angel framed by moonlight leaning over her and trying to tell her something, but the words were lost. She was paralyzed by the cold and fear of Dallas coming back, so she didn't move.

Rephaim got up and walked over to where he had thrown his jacket. Then he jogged back to Stevie Rae and draped it over her shoulders. When she kept shivering, he pulled her close and rubbed her arms, trying desperately to warm her.

Stevie Rae leaned into him, not even knowing who her savior was, but instinct told her he was warm and would keep her safe. She accidently bloodied his shirt, not even knowing that she was bleeding. Because it was already ruined and the amount of blood coming from the gash in her head was making him nervous, Rephaim pulled his shirt over his head and pressed it against her forehead, trying to soak up the blood.

_Holy crap_, Stevie Rae thought. _This guy is hotter than an Oklahoma black-top in the middle of the summer_. She didn't feel the least bit guilty about the thought either. She and Dallas were over, no question.

Stevie Rae's dark angel pulled her into his lap to try and get a better angle to look at her wound, but the wave of emotions was suddenly too much for her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and started sobbing. Pressing the shirt to her head with one hand, Rephaim used his other hand to rub her back in an attempt to comfort her.

"Hey, it's okay. He's gone. He's not going to hurt you," he murmured to her, which made her pull back and wipe tears from her drenched eyes. Then she blinked those big blue eyes at him while he tried to move the shirt so it would soak more of the blood. She felt safer now that he was gone, but she was still nervous for the same reason.

"Where did he go?" she asked quietly, her voice shaking. Stevie Rae didn't know who she was talking to; it was so dark that Rephaim probably wouldn't recognize himself even if he walked up and slapped himself upside the head.

"I don't know. He just got in his car and drove away," Rephaim answered, rubbing up and down her arm slowly as tears were still falling from her eyes. Another sob rippled through her small body and she fell onto Rephaim's shoulders again.

"He just left me there to die," Stevie Rae whispered brokenly.

Rephaim didn't know what to say, so he just sat there with her in his lap and rubbed her back. He didn't know it, but Stevie Rae seriously loved to have her back rubbed.

"Who are you?" she asked, pulling back from him and blinking a couple times to try and see through the dark cloak separating them and the blur of her tears.

"You know me. We just met," Rephaim said, adjusting the make-shift bandage again.

"You're not that guy from the club are you? The one who forced me into dancing with him?" She sounded nervous along with upset now, a heartbreaking combination.

"No, no, no. It's just me, Rephaim," he said. Like it was some sort of dramatic movie, it started to rain.

"Rephaim?" she asked, sounding shocked. "What are you doing here?"

"At the moment, I'm trying to make sure you don't bleed out," he answered.

"I'm bleeding?" Stevie Rae asked, her hand flying up to where Rephaim held the shirt.

In response, Rephaim simply nodded.

"What happened? I wasn't bleeding when Dallas pushed me in," she asked.

Rephaim just shrugged.

"The side of the bridge! I must've gotten hit in the head with the wood or something!" she concluded. Rephaim shrugged again.

"Is that why you jumped in after me?" she asked.

"You didn't come back up," he simply said.

"Oh. You don't really talk much, do you?" Stevie Rae asked, randomly changing the subject. Rephaim readjusted the shirt to talk a look at the wound, which was still bleeding.

"I'm not really… good at talking with people other than my brothers, and… carrying a conversation is… not my strong suit," he answered as best he could.

"Oh," she said.

"I should take you home. You need something better than a shirt to stop the bleeding."

"No! I… can't go home right now…" Stevie Rae protested suddenly, but then her voice trailed off.

"Then where do you want me to take you?" Rephaim asked, confused.

"I don't know…" she said, eyes filling with new tears.

Rephaim sighed. "Okay, how about we go back to my house and get you cleaned up. Then I'll take you home or wherever you want to go," he said.

Stevie Rae just nodded meekly and held the shirt to her head herself; then she tried to stand up. She managed it, for all of three seconds, but started to sway from blood loss and fell back down. Rephaim just managed to catch her before she bonked her head again.

"How about I just carry you?" Rephaim offered as he picked her up bridal style and started walking towards his car.

"No, I'm fine. Let me try again," she protested weakly.

"No. You've lost too much blood. I am not going to let you walk and risk you falling on pavement," Rephaim said matter-of-factly.

"But—" she started.

"No buts. Just relax," he said. Knowing protesting any more was pointless, she curled up against his bare, warm chest, listening to the steady rhythm of his heart.

When Rephaim got to his car, he carefully laid her in the passenger seat and buckled her in. Then he pulled the roof of the car up and got into the car himself. The second he had, lightning flashed across the sky and the rain came down in buckets.

He looked over at Stevie Rae, who was watching the water streak down the window. She rested her head back against the head rest and pressed the shirt up against her wound. Rephaim could see her eyes close slowly, so he flicked the switch and laid her seat back a little bit.

"Thanks," she whispered when he was done.

"You're welcome," he whispered back, and then he started up the car and drove back to his house.

Then he saw the flower Billy had told him to give her. "Oh," he murmured, "Billy meant to give this to you earlier today." He handed her the flower.

"Aw, that's so sweet," Stevie Rae said.

"Sweet?" Rephaim questioned.

"Yeah, a yellow rose is for friendship," Stevie Rae said, smelling it and closing her eyes again.

Rephaim just laughed.

**A/N**

**Review please!**

**~Smiley**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N**

**Hi! Thanks to all who reviewed, specifically…**

**houseofnightfan: Thanks! I hate Dallas too, and I agree: Rephaim and Stevie Rae are such a cute couple.**

**IloveZimandNny16: Lol and thanks sooo much!**

**seren: Thank you, thank you very much.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own a thing related to HON. Nope. Notta. Nothin'. (*sigh*)**

**~Smiley**

When they got there, the little clock in his car read 2:17 a.m. Stevie Rae was resting with her eyes closed, but Rephaim had made sure on the way back that she didn't fall asleep. He was afraid she had lost too much blood and that she wouldn't wake up if she fell asleep before her wound was properly bandaged.

Rephaim stepped out of the car, and Stevie Rae tried to unbuckle herself. She got extremely scared when she couldn't even do that. When it still didn't work, she started hyperventilating. Rephaim opened her door as she was struggling to do this and having her panic attack.

"Have I really been hurt that bad?" she asked; her voice was weak. She was extremely pale and looked like she was about to be sick.

"Calm down. Take a deep breath." Stevie Rae did as she was told. "What do you mean?" Rephaim asked, giving her a confused look as he reached over her and unbuckled her seat belt.

"I couldn't even unbuckle myself," she said, wrapping an arm around his neck as he reached one hand under her knees and the other around her waist and lifted her out of the car.

"Oh, no, don't worry about that. That buckle is stiff and gets stuck all the time," he said soothingly as he kicked the car door closed. Stevie Rae rested her head on his shoulder. "I need to fix or replace it."

"Oh," she said. She felt a little better after hearing that, but she still felt sick to her stomach. "Right, you're the new mechanic in town."

"Uh-huh," he grunted as he opened the front door. Thankfully, all his brothers were asleep, including the over-caffeinated Billy.

"You arrived just in time. Mr. Davey just retired; he was the old mechanic. We were all wonderin' what we were gonna do 'cause the next car repair shop is fifty miles away when you guys moved to town. Everyone was real relived that you were a mechanic," she babbled as he walked into the living room and laid her down on the couch. Then he took her boots off and put them and his own shoes on the floor. The living room was connected to the kitchen, so he could still see her when he went to the kitchen sink.

"Hey, stay awake in there," he reminded her. She followed him with her eyes as he walked over to the draw and pulled out some bandages, the kind that you wrap around the wound. He also grabbed some water, soap, and a towel to wash her wound with. Then he walked back over to her and knelt down.

He carefully took the shirt away, which was completely soaked with blood, but her head wasn't bleeding so much anymore. She watched as he dipped the towel into the basin of water, put soap on the towel, and wrung out some of the excess water. Then he dabbed at her wound, making her wince and push his hand away.

"Stop it! That hurts!" she complained, her eyes large and round.

"I know it hurts, but it has to be cleaned," he said patiently, kind of like he would do when Billy was throwing a tantrum, and she whimpered a little bit as he put the cloth back to her head. He thought she looked a little silly staring straight up, trying to see what he was doing, but he bit the side of his cheek to keep from laughing nevertheless. He pushed her hair back with one hand and continued to dab at the wound with the other, and repeated this several times before declaring her wound as clean.

Then he took the bandages and wrapped them carefully around her head so her wound was covered and would completely stop bleeding. "There," he asked, "how do you feel?"

"A little better, thanks," she said quietly and sleepily.

"Do you want me to take you home, or do you just want to sleep here tonight?" he asked.

"I don't know," she murmured, looking at him with those big, blue eyes. Then she whispered around a yawn, "I'm really tired, Rephaim."

"Okay, so why don't you just stay here? It's really late, or really early, and you need to sleep."

Her only response was closing her eyes and nodding.

"Okay," Rephaim said. Then he scooped her up from the couch and started to walk down the hall.

"Wait—where are we going?" she asked, opening her eyes again.

"I'm putting you in a bed," he said like it should be obvious. "You need to sleep."

"I thought I was just going to sleep on the couch," she said.

"No. You'll sleep in my bed tonight, and I'll take the couch."

"No, I'd feel bad for taking your bed. I'll sleep on the couch," she said, struggling to get out of Rephaim's arms.

"No, you are going to sleep in a bed," Rephaim said, holding her tighter to him to stop her struggling and going into his room.

"Stop. No. If you won't lemme down, bring me back to the livin' room. I'll sleep on the couch."

"You are being ridiculous. You are going to sleep right here," Rephaim said, dropping her down on the bed and pulling the covers over her.

"Why are you so annoying?" she asked, laughing.

"Why are you so stubborn?" he countered, laughing with her.

"Can't we reach a compromise?" she said.

"That depends on if it involves you sleeping in the bed or not," Rephaim said.

"It does," she answered.

"Then I'll hear it."

"Oh no, Mr. Big Man In Charge. You'll hear it whether you wanna or not."

"So are you going to tell me or should I leave?" he asked, backing up.

"No!" she grabbed his hand to stop him from leaving. "Okay, so you want me to sleep in a bed, right?"

"Yes," he said slowly.

"But I don't wanna take your bed," she continued.

"Where are you going with this?" he asked.

"Okay, so what if I just sleep on this side of the bed, and you sleep on the other. Then we both are sleeping where the other wants them to."

Rephaim rolled his eyes and sighed. "Really?"

"Yes."

Rephaim blew out a breath of frustration, but climbed into the other side of the big bed. "So are you always this annoying?"

"Absolutely," Stevie Rae said, curling up under the covers facing him and closing her eyes.

"Good night, Stevie Rae," Rephaim said.

"'Night, Rephaim. Sweet dreams," she said around another yawn.

"Sweet dreams," he repeated as they both drifted off to sleep.

**A/N**

**Review please!**

**~Smiley**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N**

**Okay, eeww. I can't believe it's taken me this long to update. Sorry everyone! I've been working on my Silver Award for Girl Scouts, and my family is visiting. Basically, I've been busy. Anyway, thanks soooo much guys! Yay for reviews! Special thanks to…**

**houseofnightfan: Thx! (I fangirl Stephaim too! They are the bestest couple to EVER come to be! I'd cry sooo hard if they ever broke up in the actual series. And I love reading other fanfics about them!)**

**BigSister: Thx! I really appreciate your support!**

**IloveZimandNny16: Thx! I wish I had a cat… it would be sooooo cool! I love cats! Anyway, thanks sooooo much for reviewing every chapter so far! You rock!**

**RephaimFanForLife: First—REPHAIM IS THE COOLEST CHARACTER EVER! *fangirling* That said, thanks for reviewing! And no, no Billy will not. LOL.**

**gotvamp1: Thank you, thank you very much!**

**baby Cyclopes: Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, and *breathes* thank you! Five for five!**

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN HON OR ANY OF IT'S CHARACTERS! (unfortunately)**

**~Smiley**

* * *

Chapter 6

Later, Stevie Rae would look back and try to excuse her actions with several truths that mask a lie.

_When you are on the bridge of consciousness and the realm of dreams, all you can do is feel. _

_You lose all thought and good sense and simply allow yourself to act upon instinct alone._

_Instincts don't have to mean anything._

When the sunlight streaked through the window, Stevie Rae could feel the warmth radiating through the window's blinds and to the skin of her neck and face. Wrapped in the blankets of an extremely warm and comfortable bed, Stevie Rae was gently guided to that bridge, but she refused to cross it. The realm of dreams was simply too comfortable—too safe—to leave so quickly. She felt the need to savor the passage from this realm to the world she was much more familiar with, especially when she didn't want to return to that world.

So, instead, Stevie Rae waited on the bridge, leaning over the edge to stare at the crystal clear water below and, quite simply, allowed herself to _feel_.

In that warm and comfortable bed a thousand miles away from the bridge, Stevie Rae felt warmth all around her, but that warmth wasn't coming from the sun's rays. Rephaim's warmth was surrounding and engulfing her in an amazing and good way, just like his body was cradling hers. Stevie Rae's blonde curls were covering the left side of Rephaim's chest, and, although she wasn't trying to, the steady and reliable rhythm of his heart had become her very own personal lullaby.

The position they were in was so nice and comfortable and natural that neither of them knew what the other was doing. Stevie Rae didn't know that Rephaim's arms were draped around her; all she could feel was warmth and contentment. Rephaim didn't know his arms were tightening around Stevie Rae, pulling her closer; all he could feel was that same warmth and contentment she was feeling. Stevie Rae didn't know she was leaning into and rubbing against Rephaim's chest; she just wanted to hear more of the steady beating of the drum. Rephaim didn't know that it was Stevie Rae's breathing he was listening to; quite frankly, he thought it was his own.

Even from where Stevie Rae was standing on that bridge, she had no idea what she was actually doing. There, she was still holding fast to the remnants of a dream, where she was standing on a bridge, talking to… who was she talking to?

"Who are you?" she asked the man in front of her, still leaning over the edge but turning her gaze up from the peaceful water to his beautiful brown eyes, even though that was all she could see because the moonlight casted shadows over all his other features.

His eyes smiled, and he replied, "That's not really important."

"Then what is?" she questioned, shifting her position so she was leaning back against the side of the bridge. The steady beating of a drum seemed to come closer and closer, and Stevie Rae could practically feel it pounding against her skin.

"You are, my love," he murmured, twirling one of her curls around a finger.

"Why?" she asked as her heart fell into rhythm with the beating of the drum.

"Why? What do you mean by that, my heart?" the dark angel asked, standing in front of her and lifting his wings to surround and cocoon her while he pulled her closer to him.

"Why am I important, but you're not? Why do you love me? Why can I only see your eyes? Why won't you tell me who you are?"

He laughed, which was a beautiful sound to hear. "Which one of those questions do you want me to answer?"

"All of them," she said stubbornly.

"I'm afraid we don't have time for that, my beauty," he said, eyes indescribably sad.

"Why not?" she asked.

"Because we must depart. I can answer one of your endless questions, though."

"Will I see you again?" she asked, and, despite her best efforts, tears filled her big blue eyes.

"In a perfect world," he answered vaguely.

"But no world is perfect," Stevie Rae said, her voice shaking and a tear running down her cheek.

"Any world is perfect, just so long as you and I are together," he said, wiping the tear away with his thumb but sounding like he was a thousand miles away.

"No, wait! Don't go! Don't leave me!" she shouted at her disappearing angel.

"I'm not leaving you, my love. I'm just going back, and you must cross. You will find me again. All you must do is call me by name." His deep voice disappeared, and she knew her dark angel had flown away.

Meanwhile, the "crystal clear" water had turned an inky black, the exact opposite of the lightening sky. As Stevie Rae turned to face it—to bask in the sun's warmth—she felt an unexpected chill. Normally, she loved sunrise, but today it filled her with dread.

"But I don't know your name," Stevie Rae whispered, but her words were lost and scattered among the winds, which had suddenly picked up and become so much colder and scary.

She decided it was best to return to her world, but the realm of dreams wasn't done with her yet. The instant she turned to cross the rest of the bridge, she felt an iron-clamp grip on her shoulder.

"Running away again, are we?" a voice she prayed she would never, ever hear again murmured in her ear, causing the hairs on the back of her neck to stand on end.

"Who are you?" she asked, even though she already knew.

"Your boyfriend," the voice said, "despite what _he_ thinks."

"What?" she said, turning around, astonished. But she wasn't surprised at all when she found herself face-to-face with Dallas.

"I don't like the way he looks at you," Dallas practically snarled.

"It's not your business anymore," she said, her voice shaking.

"Yes, it is. It still is. It will always be," Dallas said, his voice like a freezing fire.

"Then it seems we have a problem," Stevie Rae said, hoping beyond hope she sounded braver and stronger than she felt.

"You may actually be right for a change. Rephaim is the problem. He's why you and I can't be together, cutie. Come back to me, and I'll forgive you for being unfaithful," Dallas said, twirling one of her curls around her finger even as she cringed and turned away. His tone was kind and loving, but his words made her want to run away as fast as she could, but not before she stepped on his foot or slapped him across the face.

"Unfaithful? No, we're so done. I can't even believe you would do something like that to me," Stevie Rae defended, trying to pull away.

The instant the words were out of her mouth, Dallas had pinned her against the side of the bridge, filling her with a terrible sense of fear and dread. Where was her angel? She needed him! Now!

"Where do you think you're goin', bitch?" Dallas sneered. "Don't you know you can't run from me? You're trapped in our small town, and no one can save you, not even that bastard and his brothers you worship so willingly."

As scary as he was, Dallas's words made absolutely no sense. Yes, she was trapped in Henrietta, for now. But her daddy would sure as hell rip Dallas into a million pieces when he found out what he did. And Rephaim _had_ saved her. What really tripped her up was how he said she worshipped the Black brothers. She had only met two, and she worshipped neither.

"What the hell do you mean by that?" she asked, eyes huge and wet and scared.

"You're such a stupid girl! Can't you understand anything!" Dallas pushed her back against the side of the bridge and completely smothering her with himself. "You're so clueless"—he slapped her on the last word—"and naïve"—this time a punch in the jaw—"and dirty"—this time a punch to the nose, which caused it to bleed—"and if you think I'm gonna let _my_ girl act like that, you really need some sense knocked into you!"

The once steady and reliable drum seemed to lose its sense of rhythm, and it seemed to spiral out of control. Her heart couldn't keep up with it, and she lost her sense of balance. Looking back on it, she had lost her sense of balance the second her dark angel had left and Dallas had arrived.

"Ahhhhh!" she shrieked as Dallas hit her again. She wanted to get out of there. Now. She felt like everything was crashing down on her, and that was not a good feeling. It seemed like the shadows had crept over to them, and every time Dallas hit her, the treads of Darkness snaked out and slashed her skin.

What Dreaming Stevie Rae hadn't realized was that the wind had carried her scream to the real world, and in the bed, Rephaim shot up as Stevie Rae writhed in pain, screaming and crying from the nightmare. Rephaim's heart skipped a beat or two, and when he finally managed to start it up again, it was beating far too fast and far too hard.

"Still don't get it? Still tryin' to lie to me? Well you can go ahead and drown in your damn lies!" Dallas shouted, pushing her over the side of the bridge. "See if your precious angel will come save you now!"

The water couldn't have been more than five feet below the bridge in dream-reality, but as Stevie Rae fell, it seemed to shrink and cringe away from her. What had been a couple feet of falling became a couple miles, as if it was just trying to give Stevie Rae time to add to the huge lump of fear that seemed to grow to fill and encompass her entire body.

Without a conscious thought, she screamed one word: "Rephaim!"

Rephaim, with his heart still beating too fast, heard the second scream and pulled her into his arms and rubbed her back in small circles. "Shhh…" he soothed. "It's only a dream. It's okay."

But you have to understand he was only acting on instinct. After all, he had grown up protecting his brothers from nightmares like this; it was the least he could do when he couldn't protect them from _him_. Cradling Stevie Rae in his arms was the easiest thing in the world for him. He had had way too much practice comforting people, especially Billy.

At the same time, Stevie Rae's angel swooped in like Batman and carried her back to the real world, where she awoke to Rephaim's soothing whispers and a newly drenched face.

She blinked her blue eyes open and leaned into Rephaim. Neither of them really knew what was going on when Rephaim wiped the tears away with his thumb and murmured, "See? You're safe. Your dream can't hurt you."

It was this lack of realization that kept Stevie Rae from wailing something like _But he can hurt me_ or _That dream did hurt._

Tears finally stopped flowing from her eyes, and neither of them really knew what was going on. Or at least that's what they told themselves. Rephaim just sat there, rocking Stevie Rae back and forth in his arms. She hadn't even realized that Rephaim still hadn't put another shirt on, or that there was no way in hell she going to point that out to him.

Stevie Rae simply leaned into his chest and tried to focus on not drowning in her own tears, and she listened to the beating of his heart, which had returned to the steady and reliable drum. When her sobs finally became hiccups, and her hiccups became tears, and her tears dried on her face and his chest, Rephaim still held her safe in his arms. Deep inside him, it just felt so right. Like it was meant to be. Of course, this feeling hadn't been transferred from his subconsciousness to his brain. After the sudden burst of action, he was practically falling asleep where he was. He was still acting solely on instinct, and it was instinct that had him rubbing her back and murmuring words of comfort.

Stevie Rae was basically in the same state. Her brain just wasn't getting the message of how good it felt to be in his arms, or how nice it was to be held and cared for.

Of course, the moment completely shattered when Nisroc walked by the open bedroom door, stopped dead, back-peddled a couple steps, looked in the room, and shouted (but not loud enough to wake the others), "Whoa! I knew it! I knew you were interested!"

* * *

**A/N**

**Review please! The more reviews I get, the funnier I will make Nisroc's reaction! So pretty please review! Oh, and I hope you were paying attention, 'cause there was a lot of foreshadowing in that chapter.**

**~Smiley**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N**

**Special thanks to everyone who reviewed! Specifically…**

**-starlightstarbright4748**

**-houseofnightfan**

**-flowergirl**

**-heather**

**-gotvamp1**

**-IloveZimandNny16**

**-baby Cyclopes**

**-Khushi**

**-Guest**

**-Guest**

**-La p'tite Antillaise**

**-BigSister**

**-Bebe465**

**You guys all rock! Your support means so, so much, and your reviews mean more than I can say. Thank you so much!**

**Disclaimer: Still do NOT own HON or anything to do with the fantastic series.**

**~Smiley**

* * *

Chapter 7

Both Stevie Rae and Rephaim were jerked back into reality, which caused them to jump apart so fast and hard that they both tumbled out the opposite sides of the bed. Stevie Rae made an "Oof" sound while Rephaim scrambled up and glared at Nisroc, which only made him laugh harder.

"I was right! Admit it!" Nisroc continued with a triumphant smirk. "See? I told you you just needed to get out more!"

"Nisroc! Shut up!" Rephaim whispered fiercely while he rummaged through a drawer for a shirt. "Do you want to wake the entire house?"

"I don't know; I might need some more witnesses to testify that Rephaim has got game!" Nisroc stage whispered back, still smiling.

Meanwhile, Rephaim found a T-shirt and pulled it over his head. It was tight and black, but it wasn't too tight. It fitted him nicely and showed off his muscles, but it wasn't like he was trying too hard. Actually, it looked more like he wasn't trying at all. It was more like he had woken up that morning and decided to be drop-dead gorgeous, as Stevie Rae noted. Of course, she knew it was more along the lines of he tumbled out of bed, grabbed a shirt, prepared to kill his brother, and was still hot.

"If you do, I swear I will kill you," Rephaim said as he pulled the tee over his head.

"Harsh, harsh, my brother. You're cranky when you're interrupted, aren't you? Should I let you finish up?" Nisroc said in a mocking tone.

"Ummm…" Stevie Rae mumbled awkwardly.

"Nisroc—" Rephaim started.

"Oh, how rude of me!" Nisroc said, now speaking to Stevie Rae. "I'm Nisroc. Who is the marvelous woman who managed to change my dear brother's heart?"

"I-I think you've got the wrong idea," Stevie Rae managed, but she was blushing. Why, you may ask? Because no one had bothered to tell her face that they—she—hadn't done anything.

"Oh, then please shed some light on the subject," Nisroc said, still speaking to Stevie Rae.

"Nisroc—" Rephaim repeated.

"Now, now, brother. You will get your turn," Nisroc said in a patronizing tone. "What's your name, sweetheart?" he asked Stevie Rae.

"Ummm…" Stevie Rae mumbled.

"Um? Do you not know your own name?" Nisroc asked, pretending to be shocked.

"No, no, I'm just not sure if I should tell you," Stevie Rae said kindly.

Nisroc grabbed his chest and winced. "I'm hurt by that," he said jokingly.

"My name is Stevie Rae," she said quickly and apologetically.

Nisroc's eyes widened, and he stood there, paralyzed in the doorway, for almost a full minute.

"Nisroc," Rephaim warned. Well, that jerked him out of it.

Nisroc bolted from the room at the speed of light. Rephaim sprinted after him, and, extremely concerned and slightly amused, Stevie Rae followed.

"Billy!" Nisroc screamed as Rephaim tackled him to the floor. Then Nisroc made a sound that sounded like a cross between a run over mule and a dying hippopotamus. For once in his life, Rephaim was thankful Billy hibernated until the afternoon every single day, and not even the zombie apocalypse could wake him.

"Nisroc! It's not what you think, but I swear if you wake anyone else up then I'm going to cut your tongue out of your mouth!" Rephaim threatened.

"I will not be silenced, traitor!" Nisroc choked out, but Rephaim had him pinned to the floor with his hands behind his back. Basically, he knew he was beaten, but that didn't mean he couldn't try.

"Shut up and I'll let you go," Rephaim said.

"Spoken like a true salesmen. Allow me to make my own bargain," Nisroc rasped. Rephaim shifted his weight so Nisroc could breathe easier.

"Fine," Rephaim said as Stevie Rae went into the kitchen. While they were having their moment, she might as well make breakfast. She'd had practice dealing with this kind of situation; after all, she has three older brothers.

"You tell me everything, and then you tell Billy," Nisroc said. Stevie Rae found the milk and eggs.

"Fine. There isn't much to tell," Rephaim said, standing and helping Nisroc up. Stevie Rae rummaged through the cabinets until she found the dry ingredients for pancake mix and a decent mixing bowl. She was kind of ignoring them, but Rephaim still spoke quietly when he told Nisroc everything.

"Billy told me to follow her on her date last night, and her boyfriend started abusing her and eventually pushed her over the side of a small bridge. The bridge broke, and when she didn't come back up, I dove in after her. Wood from the bridge hit her head as she fell in, so she kind of fell unconscious. She woke up when I got her out of the water, but her head was bleeding. Her boyfriend was gone, and it started to rain, so I brought her back here so I could bandage her head and then bring her back home. However, by the time I finished tending her wound, we were both too tired to go anywhere. Then we had this whole argument about who was sleeping on the couch and who was sleeping in the bed until she just said we should both sleep in the bed. Then we slept. Nothing happened. That's it. The end." Stevie Rae found the oil and pan while Rephaim was explaining everything quickly and quietly to Nisroc and started mixing the ingredients while the pan heated.

"Then why were you cradling her in your arms _shirtless_ when I found you this morning?" Nisroc questioned. Stevie Rae poured some batter onto the pan.

"She had had a nightmare. I was just trying to comfort her, you know, like I used to do for you guys after he—"

"You don't have to say it!" Nisroc screamed. Stevie Rae looked up from her pancake making for a second before remembering to ignore them and looking back down again. "Okay, so, basically, nothing traitorous happened?" Nisroc asked in a much quieter voice.

"Absolutely nothing," Rephaim confirmed.

"Positive?" Nisroc questioned.

"Of course," Rephaim replied quickly.

"I still think you should tell Billy," Nisroc said.

"Why?" Rephaim asked. "Nothing happened."

"Because even though nothing actually did happen, you wish something had," Nisroc explained.

"What? Nisroc, that's crazy," Rephaim said.

"Is it?" Nisroc questioned.

"Yes, it is," Rephaim answered.

"Just because it's crazy doesn't mean it isn't true," Nisroc said.

"Well, it's not," Rephaim said.

"Crazy or true?" Nisroc asked.

"True!" Rephaim quietly exploded.

"So it's true that you wish something had happened. I knew it!" Nisroc exclaimed.

Rephaim rolled his eyes, but he didn't say anything. Instead, he looked over to Stevie Rae, who had completed her first batch of pancakes.

She met his gaze, smiled, and said, "Order up."

Rephaim chuckled and sat on a stool at the island that separated the living room from the kitchen, and she slid a plate of pancakes to him. Nisroc sat beside him and tried to shrink his eyes back to normal size as he stared (and drooled) at the pancakes.

"We smell pancakes," Dhiren said as he and Chander skidded to a stop at the living room end of the island. Chander nodded with his eyes sealed shut from sleep while Dhiren rubbed at his eyes.

Stevie Rae giggled and measured out more ingredients. "I guess I'm gonna need to make more than I thought."

"And even more than that," Nisroc added as the twins managed to open their eyes, which widened at the sight of Stevie Rae, but she didn't notice. "There are six of us, not including yourself."

"Oh, golly. I might run outta stuff to make the pancakes!" Stevie Rae exclaimed.

"Count on it," Nisroc said.

"Oh well," Chander said.

"Yeah, first come, first served!" Dhiren exclaimed, and Stevie Rae laughed.

Then Waya emerged from his room. "Can you guys be any louder? Some of us are trying to sleep!" he complained, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"You know, one of these days you're going to thank us for being so loud," Chander said, and Dhiren nodded.

"Yeah, well, I thought we agreed you could only scream to wake me in the case of a zombie apocalypse," Waya said.

"How do you know it isn't the zombie apocalypse?" Dhiren asked as Billy's bedroom door opened.

"Because if it was the zombie apocalypse, you wouldn't be shouting about pancakes," Waya stated.

Billy smiled mischievously before closing his eyes and sticking his hands out in front of him as he walked. "I am zombie," he rasped, doing his best imitation of a zombie. "I want your brains…and pancakes…"

Everyone burst into a raging fit of laughter, except Rephaim. Seeing Billy had frozen something inside him, and he felt weird. What was the weird feeling, you may ask? Guilt. However, he did smile and shake his head.

Still laughing, Stevie Rae said, "Quick, someone give the boy some pancakes before he decides he wants our brains instead."

Billy recognized the laugh, and he recognized the voice. _Why is she here? Not that I'm complaining, but what the hell? _Billy thought. _And I was just playing zombie! Oh, crap! I didn't want her to see that!_

Stevie Rae and everyone kept laughing, so Billy masked the embarrassment plastered on his face and kept up the act, considering that she seemed to be enjoying it.

"Pancakes…" he groaned.

Stevie Rae laughed harder but managed to flip a pancake while sliding a plate of pancakes to the other side of the island, which was grabbed by Nisroc, with much objection from the twins.

"Fight and none of you get any…" Stevie Rae warned, which instantly zipped the twins lips.

Stevie Rae was so used to cooking and making meals that everything she was doing was done automatically, which left her plenty of room to multi-task. She expertly flipped several pancakes onto the three plates as they slid towards the twins and Waya.

"Whoa," Dhiren breathed.

"Major pancake skillage," Chander said in the same tone of awe.

"Just practice," Stevie Rae said.

"Just really cool," Billy insisted.

"I thought you were a zombie," Stevie Rae said with a smile.

Billy threw back on his zombie mask. "Brains…" he moaned.

"Brains or pancakes?" Stevie Rae asked.

"Pancakes…" Billy answered.

"Good, 'cause we're fresh outta brains," Stevie Rae told him as she flipped another pancake, and they watched as it spun one, two, three times in the air before landing on the right side. Billy applauded, which made Nisroc roll his eyes.

"What?" Billy whispered fiercely.

"You. Are. Obvious," Nisroc said through his teeth, which totally wasn't suspicious or noticed by Stevie Rae.

"Shut up," Billy said the same way as his plate of pancakes gracefully stopped in front of him.

Meanwhile, Chander, Dhiren, Nisroc, and Waya had inhaled their entire stacks of pancakes. "So, I know Billy, Rephaim, and Nisroc, but I didn't catch the names of you three," Stevie Rae said, gesturing to the twins and Waya.

"We could say the same about you," Chander said, and Dhiren nodded, as usual.

"Oh, I'm Stevie Rae," she said, and offered the twins a hand each.

"Chander," Dhiren said.

"Dhiren," Chander said.

Waya stood and walked around the island. Catching her hand, he bent and brought it to his lips. "I'm Waya," he introduced, "and Thing 1 is actually Dhiren, not Chander." He gestured to Dhiren and continued, "And Thing 2 is actually Chander, not Dhiren." He gestured to Chander.

Stevie Rae laughed. "You know, two of my brothers are identical twins, and they do the same thing."

"Damn!" Dhiren exclaimed.

"We were going for original there!" Chander said.

"Damn," Dhiren repeated, and Stevie Rae laughed harder.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I gotta go take care of the horses," Waya said. "Thank you for the lovely breakfast," he said gratefully to Stevie Rae, and then walked out the back door.

Chander, Dhiren, and Waya had no idea why or who Stevie Rae was in relation to Billy's crush (read: obsession), and the only reason Nisroc knew anything about the whole situation was because Billy had talked at him for the majority of last night. The twins and Waya were just a bit better at avoiding Billy, so their lack of a reaction could easily be explained because of their lack of knowledge.

"So," Nisroc started after Stevie Rae slid another plate stacked high with pancakes to him and the twins, "how was your sleep?"

Stevie Rae blinked a couple times as if she was confused by the question. "Ummm… fine, thank ya. How was yours?"

"Quite alright," Nisroc answered, swallowing a ginormous mouthful of pancakes. Billy looked confused, but suspicion hadn't registered in his eyes just yet. "How did you sleep, Rephaim?"

* * *

**A/N**

**Okay, so I'm sure you can all imagine how awkward that conversation is about to get. Anyway, pretty please review! (do it for the zombie/pancake apocalypse!)**

**Oh, and one more thing: **_**Hidden**_** is a little over two months away! I read online that Damien is gonna get a new boyfriend even I'm still heartbroken over Jack, but I have a hypothesis: DamienxNisroc. Please allow me to explain my reasoning. Nisroc doesn't have great grammar (but that just makes him awesomer). Damien, on the flip side, is the supreme lord of all things literature. Who could be better to teach Nisroc about how to improve his speaking skills (not sure if I actually want him to) and teach him about humanity than Damien Maslin? I'm probably way off, but I just wanted to see if anyone was thinking the same or a similar thing.**

**Anyway, please, please, PLEASE review!**

**~Smiley**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N**

**Thanks to all who reviewed! (baby Cyclopes, houseofnightfan, BigSister, Fan Girly, IloveZimandNny16, and inquiete) You guys rock! I'm so sorry I haven't updated sooner, very busy with starting school and whatnot, but the next chapter is here now. And you have inquiete and another friend of mine to thank for that 'cause they helped me through major writer's block!**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own HON. Nor will I ever. =(**

**~Smiley**

* * *

Chapter 8

Nisroc could not have been more annoying and awkward and stupid and—

Billy.

_Shit_.

Why did Nisroc _have_ to ask that? Why? Now, not only was put on the spot, but Billy was probably going to want to know _why_ Nisroc was asking that. Of all the stupid things Nisroc has said, that would have to be the stupidest. And the worst part was Nisroc thought about what he was going to say, then said it.

God, little brothers were so damn annoying. Sure, Nisroc was always good at making perfectly normal situations awkward, but even Billy could tell something was up. Perfect.

It had been fine before Nisroc opened his big mouth.

Stevie Rae had just finished another batch of pancakes and was sliding them across the table to Chander and Dhiren. Nothing wrong or weird about it. Nothing that could have sparked Nisroc's need for awkwardness.

Naturally, he opened his big mouth anyway. "How was your sleep?" he had asked her.

Of course, Stevie Rae was confused by the randomness of the question; her rapid blinking could not have telegraphed that more clearly. However, she was sweet and kind and cute and funny and…

Where was he?

Oh, yeah, Stevie Rae was too nice and too polite to flat out tell Nisroc that was weird and random, even though he hadn't made the situation awkward yet. "Ummm… fine, thank ya," she had answered. "How was yours?"

"Quite alright," Nisroc had responded, swallowing a ginormous mouthful of pancakes without chewing. Unfortunately for Rephaim, he hadn't managed to choke on them, so he had turned to Rephaim and asked, as if to continue a completely non-awkward conversation, "How did you sleep, Rephaim?"

Rephaim could have strangled him right then and there.

However, that would just have to wait until there wasn't so many witnesses around.

"Rephaim?" Billy had asked. Why was his youngest brother's voice higher pitched in his memory? "Wait—Nisroc why the hell do you care how Rephaim slept?"

"Oh, just trying to be polite," Nisroc answered like it was nothing. However, suspicion had settled into Billy's eyes. Billy was a lot of things, but he was not stupid. Naïve, maybe, but not stupid.

"Yeah, right. Since when have you ever cared about being polite!" Billy exclaimed.

"A guy can change," Nisroc answered.

"Maybe some guys can, but you can't," Billy countered.

"I can change if I want to," Nisroc insisted, and Rephaim knew that Billy was playing with fire.

"Yeah, that's a good one."

"I have changed!" Nisroc shouted so loud it was deafening, and the silence that followed was so quiet that it too was deafening.

"I'll bring you home now, Stevie Rae," Rephaim said quickly, breaking the silence even though everyone's ears were still ringing and everyone's mind was still spinning.

"Thanks for the pancakes," Dhiren said.

"But we really should get going too. Lots of important nothings to do today," Chander finished, and the two turned and ran and hid in the deceptive safety of their bedrooms.

Nisroc was still fuming, and Billy's eyes were round and scared for a second before he covered the emotions up. "Rephaim?" Stevie Rae asked, unsure of what to do.

"C'mon," Rephaim whispered to Stevie Rae, gesturing for her to follow him out the front door.

"Wait!" Billy said as Stevie Rae came out of the kitchen to go to Rephaim. "I just noticed this, but what happened to your head?"

"Oh, um…it's nothing. I'm fine, Billy," Stevie Rae said quickly, and Rephaim grabbed the keys to his car. The two practically bolted out the front door.

"Rephaim?" Stevie Rae asked as he opened the passenger door for her. He stayed silent and placed a hand on her back to guide her into the car, which still had the stupid roof up from last night. Rephaim really hated when he had to put the roof up; it was so annoying and confining.

"Rephaim?" Stevie Rae repeated as he slid into the driver's side.

He turned around to see behind him as he backed out of the driveway, but he didn't answer Stevie Rae.

Eventually, Rephaim figured she gave up, and he faded away to the back of his own mind and relived the conversation Nisroc had ignited and then put out.

After all, Nisroc had been right. Not about being awkward and making Billy all suspicious; no, Rephaim was going to kill him for that. But he had been right about changing. They all had.

Back when they were under his rule, they had all been…well, evil. Yes, as stupid as it sounds, they were evil, and they didn't know anything else.

He was cruel. He would beat them, and more times than not that beating resulted in death. Because Rephaim was the oldest, he had seen a lot more than the others, so he knew how to avoid his anger. He knew him the best, and that gave Rephaim the best and worst of life.

However, that knowledge did get him, Nisroc, Waya, Chander, and Dhiren out of there. They were able to change. It had taken two extremely long years, but they were doing alright. They were okay. And, most importantly, they were away from him.

But they could all remember—

_No! Rephaim, don't think about it!_ he screamed at himself. _Don't you let yourself!_

Rephaim's knuckles became white around the steering wheel. His vision blurred as he fought the wave of memories, something he still struggled with. He hardly ever won the battle, but that didn't mean he would stop trying. He was determined to keep that door closed, but the monster on the other side was constantly pushing against him.

_No, no, no, no, NO!_ his mind screamed, and his head hurt from fighting himself. Whether he liked it or not, that monster on the other side of the door _was_ him, and fighting himself made his soul feel like it was going to split in two.

Rephaim hardly felt his eyes squeeze shut, and he hardly heard Stevie Rae's screams.

"Rephaim!" she cried, but Rephaim didn't hear.

"REPHAIM!" she screamed at the top of her lungs, and her voice was so filled with terror that it made the monster quit pushing. "You're gonna hit the tree!"

Rephaim's eyes snapped open. Stevie Rae was clutching his arm like her life depended on it, and it kind of did in this case. His arm was hurting, and he knew that she was (surprisingly) strong enough to have bruised it.

He didn't have time to think about that though. He stood on the brakes, and the old car groaned. Stevie Rae screamed and shut her eyes and squeezed Rephaim's arm. Rephaim pulled the emergency brake and shut his eyes too.

Then all was still.

Both of them were breathing hard, expecting the worst, but slowly they both opened their eyes. Their sudden stop had lacked the crash and the unstoppable lurch forward that should have happened were they to hit the willow at full-speed. Sure, they had been thrown forward, but they weren't smushed against the windshield.

Once they had opened their eyes, they could only see the curtain of leaves that blocked their view of the front and sides of the car. Rephaim glanced at the rearview mirror, and slowly, oh so slowly, started to reverse the car away from the old willow.

They got to the road, and Rephaim drove the direction they should have been going. It took a second longer than it should have for Rephaim to realize that he had absolutely no idea where he was or where he should be going.

It took a moment for Stevie Rae's mind to work through the shock, and once she did, she wished she hadn't. Why?

The shock gave way to sobbing.

Rephaim had pulled over to properly ask Stevie Rae where she wanted to go, but the second the car stopped, she was sobbing.

Rephaim's reaction was instantaneous. He unbuckled both of them in one swift motion and then wrapped his arms around her, moving closer so she could lean into him and regain the comfort and strength she had lost.

This simple act had her sobbing even harder, so Rephaim pulled her even closer and started to rub her back.

"Shhhh," he soothed. "It's okay, you're okay, we're okay, it's going to be alright…" He continued saying nothing and everything to comfort her to the best of his ability. At some point, she wrapped her arms around him and stopped sobbing, but tears still flowed from her closed eyes.

"I'm sorry, Stevie Rae. I should have been paying better attention to what I was doing. This is my fault. God, I'm so sorry," Rephaim was saying.

Stevie Rae finally evened her breathing enough for her to push back and meet his eyes. "Why are you sorry?" she asked.

"I nearly drove us into a tree," Rephaim said.

"Yeah, but you also stopped the car before it hit the poor tree," Stevie Rae replied.

"But didn't that scare you? Isn't that why you're crying?" Rephaim asked.

"You probably scared the tree more than me," she told him. "And, yeah, well two near death experiences in less than twenty-four hours tend to make me cry."

"I'm the cause of one of them. Why aren't you mad at me?" Rephaim asked.

"Because you also stopped both of 'em," she answered as if it were obvious.

Rephaim shook his head, but he cupped her face in both of his hands and wiped her tears away with his thumbs.

She leaned into one of his hands and smiled at him. He couldn't help but smile back.

"So, where do you want me to take you?" Rephaim asked.

"Ummmm… I'm not really sure," Stevie Rae said.

"Well, do you want to go home? Where do you live?" Rephaim asked.

"I-I don't wanna go home," Stevie Rae said. "I don't know what I'm gonna tell 'em yet."

"What do you mean you don't know what to tell them?"

"I don't know what to tell 'em 'bout Dallas," Stevie Rae answered, looking away from his concerned gaze.

"You're not thinking of protecting him, are you? Stevie Rae—"

"I just don't know what to do, okay!" she snapped. Then she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have snapped at you. I-I just don't know what to do about him. God, what am I going to say!? I don't wanna get him in trouble, Rephaim; he's not a bad guy—"

"Stevie Rae." Rephaim's voice was like death. "Anyone who would dare hurt you is bad. He doesn't deserve your protection."

"But he was drunk and—"

"Stevie Rae. Just because someone is drunk doesn't mean that they don't know exactly what they're doing or doing something they don't want to do. Quite the opposite, actually. When someone's drunk, they lose their filter. That means that they are saying and doing whatever they're thinking. The alcohol doesn't put thoughts in their heads. The thought is already there, and they simply don't know not to say or do it."

A tear ran down Stevie Rae's cheek. "He's not a bad guy," she protested weakly.

"Fine. He's not a bad guy. Alright? But he's dangerous. And now that he's hit you once, odds are he's going to again," Rephaim said, but Stevie Rae shook her head back and forth as if she was trying to rid herself of Rephaim's words.

"Maybe if I just talk to him—"

"Stevie Rae, you can't honestly still want to date him after what he did to you! You nearly died!" he exclaimed.

"I'm not saying I want to date him! I don't! We're done! But that doesn't mean I wanna get him in trouble!" she shouted right back.

"He doesn't deserve your protection! Stevie Rae." Rephaim tried to get her to look at him, but she wouldn't. "Stevie Rae, look at me." He grabbed her chin and gently turned her head so she was looking at him. "He hurt you. Hell, he nearly killed you. You say he's not a bad guy, then why didn't he give you a chance to explain what was going on? Why didn't he believe you when you told him you weren't—"

"How the hell do you know what was going on between me and Dallas?" Stevie Rae demanded, interrupting him.

"He wasn't exactly quiet, Stevie Rae," Rephaim replied.

"Why the hell were ya watchin' us anyway?" Stevie Rae asked.

Rephaim sighed. He could give himself up, but there was no way he was going to take Billy down with him. "I was in the club and Dallas came over for a drink. Or six. I saw the other guy dance with you, and I saw you trying to pull away. Dallas didn't. And he wasn't exactly gentle as he pulled you out of that club. I knew he was drunk, so I followed you outside to make sure you were okay. My car was parked out by the pond anyway, so I figured if you were fine, I would just head home."

"But I wasn't okay," Stevie Rae added.

"No, you weren't, and I really didn't like the way he was treating you. You asked him to let go and he didn't. I was already on my way towards you when he started hitting you, and I made it to the start of the bridge when he pushed you in. When you didn't come up, I dove in after you."

"He just left," Stevie Rae said. Rephaim nodded.

Stevie Rae hugged her knees even though it was an awkward position in a car. "What am I going to do if I see him again?"

Rephaim blew a loose strand of hair out of his eyes. He glanced around him, and then he remembered something in the glove box. Reaching over Stevie Rae, he popped it open and dug around for the pen. When he found it, he closed the glove box and grabbed her hand.

"If you see him again and feel threatened, then call this number," he said, then scribbled the number on her palm.

She smiled up at him. "Thanks, Rephaim," she said.

"Stevie Rae?" he asked, and she met his gaze again.

"Yeah?" she asked.

"I mean it. Call me if you ever need anything," he told her. She nodded. "Now, where do you want me to take you?" he asked.

"The diner," she answered, smiling. "I'm probably late for my shift anyway."

Rephaim nodded, but then realized he had no idea how to get to the diner from here. "Uh, Stevie Rae?" he asked.

"Yeah?"

"How do you get to the diner from here?"

She laughed. "Well, we are in the middle of town, see there's the police station—"

"Where you can report abusive boyfriends," Rephaim mumbled under his breath.

She hit him playfully without looking at him. "So we go around the tree and take a left…"

Rephaim followed her directions, and on the way there they had normal conversations, something Rephaim didn't really tend to have with, well, anyone, and they even laughed and joked around with each other. Too soon they were they were there. Too soon Rephaim was parking the car so she could leave.

Stevie Rae reached down and unbuckled herself. "Hey," she said, "I thought that this seat belt always gets stuck."

"Oh, ummm… I fixed it," Rephaim said, climbing out of the car and walking around to open her door. Stevie Rae shook her head at him but laughed, so he smiled at her.

"Hey, would ya mind walkin' in with me? I just don't want to go in there alone in case He Who Shall Not Be Named is in there."

"Sure," he said, "but I highly doubt Voldemort is in your diner."

Stevie Rae gasped. "We don't speak his name!"

They laughed as they walked up the steps to the entrance of the diner. "You know who I mean," Stevie Rae said.

"Yeah, but I don't think he would come here either," Rephaim said, opening the door for her. Because of this, his back was to everyone in the diner, and his eyes were only one her. He watched as she stepped in and her eyes widened and she gasped, looking terrified. He quickly followed her inside and saw you was standing by the place he had first met her.

"Dallas?" Stevie Rae breathed.

* * *

**A/N**

**Please review!**

**~Smiley**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N**

**Thanks to all who reviewed! Specifically…**

**-IloveZimandNny16**

**-gotvamp1**

**-baby Cyclopes**

**-BoOkWoRm1807**

**-inquiete**

**-The Innocent Dalek**

**-Fan Girly**

**-houseofnightfan**

**-Artaddict15 (x2)**

**-Rephaimlove**

**Thank you all so much. You should all know that you guys are the ones who keep this story going (even if it's not updated as often as you would like). Thanks for caring enough to read (and review) this fanfic. Know that you're the ones who inspire everything going into this story. Hope you enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I have never, do not, and (unfortunately) will never own the characters (except my OCs) or HON or anything else!**

**~Smiley**

* * *

Chapter 9

"I wanna leave," Stevie Rae pleaded in a high, kind of squeaky voice, grabbing Rephaim's arm.

"Just ignore him," Rephaim whispered, standing tall and strong beside her. He took a step forward, straightening his spine, trying to lead by example. When she continued to stand in the doorway, paralyzed, he put an arm around her waist and gave her a small push, causing her to take one step forward. Keeping his hand on her back, the two walked into the restaurant. Rephaim walked with purpose, and he tried to lend some of the strength to Stevie Rae, who, although she tried to stand tall, couldn't help her wide eyes and strong desire to disappear.

"How do I just ignore him?" Stevie Rae asked quietly.

"Well, for starters, you could try not staring at him," Rephaim whispered, following her frightened gaze. She jerked her gaze away from Dallas, staring instead at the floor.

"Please, Rephaim, let's just go. I-I wanna leave," she pleaded.

Rephaim pondered that for a second. "I thought you said you were late for your shift anyway."

"I-I'm gonna t-take a sick d-day." The further they went into the restaurant (and closer they got to Dallas), Stevie Rae's fear took more and more control of her voice. She stuttered and heard herself speak in an unnaturally high voice. "I feel like I'm gonna puke," she said truthfully.

"Didn't you say your mother owns this diner?" Rephaim asked, trying desperately to help her help herself. "If he tries anything, _you_ can kick_ him_ out."

"I'd rather not wait around for him to try anything," Stevie Rae told him.

"You won't have to. Ignore him, go into the kitchen, talk to the other customers…" Rephaim's voice trailed off. Unfortunately, there weren't that many other customers. "You'll be fine."

"Hide in the kitchen. Good plan," Stevie Rae said. "But what if he follows me in there?"

"He won't," Rephaim assured her. He sounded more confident than he felt. "And do you really have to _hide_ in the kitchen?"

"Uh-huh," Stevie Rae squeaked as Dallas turned around to face them. He started to smile sweetly at Stevie Rae, but his face became death the second he saw Rephaim.

"Who the hell are you?" he asked him, buffing up his chest as if to prepare for a fight. His dangerous tone made Stevie Rae want to disappear, even though the question wasn't even directed at her. However, she somehow managed to hold her ground. "What the hell are you doing with your hand on my girl?" He shouted the question.

"Just a friend," Rephaim answered his first question calmly. Stevie Rae wasn't sure if Dallas detected the dangerous undertone, the anger bubbling beneath the surface. "And she isn't your anything."

Dallas snorted. "Look, pal, just walk away from my girlfriend before someone gets hurt."

Rephaim laughed, but Stevie Rae could tell that he was warning Dallas. It made her feel worried and safe at the same time. "_Some_one already did."

It was then Dallas noticed the bandage on Stevie Rae's head; anyone could tell by the way his eyes widened. His wide eyes made Stevie Rae notice that one was blackened—what had happened there?

"What the hell did you do to her?" he shouted. No, he didn't simply ask Stevie Rae what had happened or if she was okay; he just went straight to blaming the closest person.

That was Stevie Rae's cue. Rephaim couldn't do all the talking for her; sooner or later, she would have to speak up for herself.

But that's not what Stevie Rae was thinking about. All she was doing was speaking up for Rephaim—she couldn't care less about what Dallas said about her. In a way, that's exactly what Rephaim had been doing: speaking up for her, not himself.

"Rephaim didn't do anything to me," Stevie Rae said, swallowing her fear.

Stevie Rae could tell Dallas was holding himself back from spitting at Rephaim.

"Rephaim? So that's your name? Look, I told ya once, and I'll tell ya again: get your hand off my girl."

Dallas was ignoring her, and Rephaim didn't like that. Stevie Rae didn't either, but Rephaim was the one extremely irritated by it.

"Dallas? So that's your name? Look, I told you once, and I'll tell you again: she isn't your anything."

Stevie Rae had to hold herself back from bursting into a fit of giggles. Who knew Rephaim, Mr. Dark and Quiet and Mysterious, was capable of turning a situation around like that?

Dallas' face was a storm cloud. Flashes of lightning and anger came and went, echoed by thunder and growls. Giggles were gone.

"What? Do you think you're funny? _Rephaim_." Dallas sneered the name. "What kind of name is that anyway? Does your mama hate ya or something?"

"My mother is dead," Rephaim replied evenly. However, the dangerous undertone was getting more and more obvious. Stevie Rae's eyes widened when she actually registered what he'd said.

"At least he wasn't named after the place where his parents had a little too much fun," Stevie Rae countered.

Dallas looked like someone had snapped their fingers in front of his face one too many times. "Ya must have hit your beautiful little head pretty hard, girl. Why don't you come over here and let me take a look at it?"

Stevie Rae opened her mouth and closed it, reminding herself of a fish. She had opened her mouth to speak, but her words dried up. She didn't want to be anywhere near him, but if she told him no, would he try to hit her again?

But…it would be different this time, wouldn't it? Rephaim promised he wouldn't let him hurt her. She took a deep breath and gathered strength from where his hand was still at her back, firm and strong and protective. Rephaim was letting her know that he was still there for her.

"No," Stevie Rae said quietly.

"Excuse me?" Dallas asked.

"No," Stevie Rae said, a little louder and a little stronger this time.

"I'm sorry, did you say no?" Dallas asked as if he were having trouble believing it.

"I do not believe it is necessary for her to say it a third time," Rephaim said firmly.

"You know, Rephaim, I'm getting really sick of you speaking for my girl," Dallas threatened.

This was it. This was where Stevie Rae had to speak up for herself. "He wouldn't have to speak for me if you would actually talk to me," Stevie Rae defended both Rephaim and herself. One down, one to go. Rephaim had said it twice; now it was her turn. Well, third time's the charm. "And...and…" Stevie Rae took a breath and centered herself. She borrowed some more strength from Rephaim's touch. "And I'm not your anything, Dallas."

"Excuse me?"

"I think you heard her," Rephaim said, giving Stevie Rae a proud smile.

"Shut up, you freak," Dallas said, grabbing his beer bottle from the counter. He stepped toward Rephaim and shoved him. Rephaim took a small step back. Dallas took a swing at him, but Rephaim ducked and moved so he was once again beside Stevie Rae.

Dallas staggered around before picking himself up and turning. "How the hell do you two even know each other?"

"Dallas, I can explain—" Stevie Rae started.

"Oh, he's the guy from the club last night, isn't he?" Dallas asked.

"No, well, yes, you see he—"

"You know each other."

Rephaim noticed the change in Dallas' voice before Stevie Rae did. His tone had hardened—gone cold and mean.

"Yeah, okay, we do. I know what you're thinking, but I can explain. See, he—"

"You've been with him all along."

"All along? No. We only met—"

"All this time I've been treatin' you like you was some kind of queen or somethin', like you was a _real_ girlfriend. I thought we were serious."

"We were serious, but that was before—"

"Before you met him, right?" Dallas shouted.

"No! Rephaim and I are just friends, and—"

"Don't lie to me, you whore!" Dallas took a step towards Stevie Rae.

"Don't you dare talk to me like that!" Stevie Rae slapped him. Hard.

Dallas staggered back half a step. "What the fuck has he done to you?"

Rephaim stayed where he was, beside Stevie Rae, but said nothing, allowing her to take matters into her own hands. He was kind of proud of her, standing up for herself.

"You mean besides savin' my life twice? Nothin'!" she yelled.

"He's messed with your head completely!" Dallas shouted.

"I'm in charge of my own mind," Stevie Rae said. "He hasn't done anything but help me to realize that."

Her words had no effect on him. "He's made you a goddamned whore and a liar! You need some sense knocked into you, girl!" Dallas raised his hand like he was going to it Stevie Rae.

Rephaim didn't hesitate. With graceful speed, he stepped between Dallas and Stevie Rae, blocking the blow intended for her with his left forearm. With no hesitation and the same graceful speed, Rephaim delivered a right hook to Dallas' jaw.

Dallas staggered back. Obviously, the boy wasn't used to pain. Dallas blinked a couple times, and he seemed to finally see Rephaim clearly.

"You-you're that guy from the pond," Dallas said. Rephaim didn't even give him a nod. He didn't deserve it.

However, Dallas got the message. For once, he was right. It just took another punch to realize the similarity between the one he had just received and the ones he suffered from last night.

Dallas went to punch Rephaim again, and Rephaim prepared to block the blow. But at the last possible second, Dallas bailed on the planned punch and swung at Rephaim with the beer bottle, which was in his left hand. It would have cracked on his head, but Rephaim had _him_ to thank for his trained and talented reflexes. The weak bottle shattered upon impact with his right hand.

Even though Dallas had taken out his preferred hand, Rephaim was nothing if not prepared. His left arm was in just as good condition, if not even better. It really shouldn't have surprised Dallas when Rephaim's left cross connected with the eye that wasn't blackened. Well, it wasn't until now.

Dallas staggered back again, but he knew when he was beaten. Instead of rushing at Rephaim once again, he spit blood at Rephaim's shoes as he continued to back up. When he reached the doors, he shouted, "You haven't heard the last of me, _Rephaim_." Then he turned and stormed out.

* * *

**A/N**

**Pretty please review!**

**Oh, and did any of that seem familiar to you guys? Go ahead and guess what scene I was picking and pulling from for this chapter. I'm trying to tie the actual books into this story, even though there isn't any vampyres or magic or stuff like that…so far.**

**Anyway, hope you enjoyed! Remember to review!**

**~Smiley**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N**

**Thanks to all who reviewed! Specifically…**

**-Rephiamlove**

**-Samtemplesangel**

**-IloveZimandNny16**

**-houseofnightfan (x2)**

**-baby Cyclopes**

**-restlesssoul21**

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**-Big Sister**

**-inquiete**

**-Cookiemonster4ever**

**-foxface333ChocolateLabrador**

**You guys are awesome! Thank you so much for your continued support. Hope everyone reading enjoys the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: If I owned HON, there would be no need for a disclaimer. As you can see, there is a disclaimer, so I don't own HON.**

**~Smiley**

* * *

Chapter 10

"You haven't heard the last of me, _Rephaim_."

His words, even though he was gone (for how long now? Five minutes? Ten?), echoed around the room. No, not the room. They echoed around inside her head, the only and one place she could never really escape. Her mind was on repeat, like some sort of broken record, and she didn't know how to fix it.

Dallas was gone now, but she was hiding in the kitchen. She didn't want to deal with any curious customers, even if they were people she'd known since she was born and seen every single day of her life.

"You haven't heard the last of me, _Rephaim_."

The words hadn't even been directed at her, but she couldn't help but feel completely and utterly terrified by them. Yes, she wanted to cry, but she had done far too much of that lately. So instead, she felt more like screaming.

"Stevie Rae? Are you alright in there?" Rephaim asked from the other side of the kitchen door. His voice made her want to slap herself upside the head. He had just fought off a horrible ex-boyfriend for her, but she hadn't thanked him yet!

Stevie Rae hurried to the doors of the kitchen, pulling it wide open. Rephaim stood on the other side of the doorway, looking like the dark angel she had described him as the night before. He was wearing a black t-shirt, his black leather jacket, dark-washed jeans, and black Timber hiking boots. His long black hair with strange feathers braided into its length hung around his face. He hadn't bothered to tie it up this morning, but even if he had, it probably would have gotten loose after the fight that had just went down.

Dallas had left for hardly a second when Stevie Rae had bolted into the kitchen, the double-doors swinging back and forth the only evidence that she hadn't simply disappeared into thin air. Rephaim had thought she looked extremely pale—perhaps even a little green—when she had run in there, and when she didn't reappear after a while, he decided it would be best to check on her.

Now, the two stood on opposite sides of the kitchen doorway. Rephaim thought she still looked pale, but it could just be the light. Stevie Rae still held the door open for him, and motioned with her other hand for him to come inside the kitchen.

"How are you feeling?" Rephaim asked once he was inside and Stevie Rae had closed the door.

She took a deep breath. "Better than I thought I would be."

Rephaim nodded as if he understood. They were silent for a moment, and, as he had never been much of a people person, Rephaim's gaze dropped to the floor. Perhaps that was why he didn't see it coming.

Stevie Rae took a deep breath. She admitted silently that he looked kind of cute standing there, looking a little awkward and out of place but still obviously worried about her. Gathering her scattered remnants of courage, she went up on her tippy toes and placed a short, sweet kiss on his cheek, and she wrapped her arms around his neck. Still hugging him, she whispered, "Thank you, for doin' that. I really 'preciate it."

After Rephaim recovered from the shock, he allowed himself to return the embrace. "You're welcome," he whispered back.

Then, like both of them realized they shouldn't really be doing what they were doing at the exact same moment, they stepped apart, but, unable to meet each other's gaze, they decided to pretend to be quite interested in the floor.

Stevie Rae, trying desperately to gather, once again, the courage she had so recently gained, lost, gained, and lost again, started to bring her gaze back up to his face. However, as she slowly brought her gaze up his body, she noticed a blur of red across his right hand.

"Rephaim, is that blood?" Stevie Rae asked, shattering that moment of awkward silence. "Ohmygood_ness_, you're bleeding! The bottle—he hit you—ohmygood_ness_!" Instead of running around in circles like a headless chicken like her words and tone suggested she might, she grabbed his hand and dragged him over to the sink. Well, one of them. One sink was for washing hands, and the other was for washing food. She had brought him the hand-washing sink.

"Really, Stevie Rae, I'm fine. It's just a little cut, that's all," Rephaim assured her, but she wouldn't let go of his hand as she checked it for bits of broken glass.

"Yeah, right. A little cut doesn't spread across your whole palm or have sharp objects in it," Stevie Rae said, releasing his injured hand. "Now you wash your hands. I know there's a first-aid kit 'round here somewhere."

Rephaim sighed but did as he was told. He heard Stevie Rae give a quiet triumphant shout, and he figured she'd found the first-aid kit. She didn't exactly skip back over to him, but she did have a bounce back in her step, which made Rephaim smile.

"What are ya smilin' 'bout?" Stevie Rae asked, setting the open kit on the counter and washed her own hands.

Rephaim just shook his head and chuckled. "Okay, lemme see your hand," Stevie Rae said, holding out her own. Without too much hesitation, he moved his hand so it was resting in her palm. Bringing it up so it was at her eye-level, she examined the wound, moving it so the bits of glass caught the light, making them easier to identify.

"Hmmmmm…" Still holding up his hand to the light, she started rummaging through the first-aid kit for something. "I'm pretty sure there's one of these in there…"

"What?" Rephaim asked, slightly curious about what she planned on doing to his hand.

"A-ha!"

"What are you doing?" he asked as she triumphantly pulled something out of the white box.

"Tweezers," she said as if it were obvious. When he continued to look at her blankly, she explained, "To get the glass out."

"Oh...hey! Ow!" Rephaim exclaimed, automatically jerking his hand away.

"Sorry! Oh, gosh, sorry! I didn't mean to hurt you!" Stevie Rae said automatically.

"It-it's fine," he told her, but was thinking, _By all the gods, Rephaim, you're getting to be too soft._

Stevie Rae sighed. "I still have to get the glass out."

Rephaim grunted in agreement and held out his injured hand. He could tell she was moving slower, obviously trying to be much gentler.

"You know, one time my brother stepped on some glass, but my parents weren't home so the twins had to try and get it out of his foot. They took turns holdin' him down and pickin' the glass out."

Rephaim nodded so she knew he'd heard her, and he didn't so much as allow himself to wince as she freed the first piece of glass.

"Of course, I wasn't much help at all. I started cryin' hysterically when I saw all the blood, so my brothers sent me to my room. I was only six at the time. I wanted Mama and Daddy to come home, but they wouldn't lemme call them 'cause they were afraid of gettin' in trouble. Tommy and Timmy had accidently broken one of the good glasses, and Chris had stepped on it. Naturally, our parents found out anyway, and they only got in trouble 'cause they hadn't told them in the first place."

Rephaim grunted in acknowledgement as she continued to babble about the most random of things. Rephaim focused on what she was saying instead of what she was doing, so he didn't even notice as she pulled the last piece of glass out.

"There," she said, rinsing off the tweezers with rubbing alcohol and returning them to the container. Rephaim started to pull his hand away, thinking she was finished, but her words said otherwise. "Not so fast. Still gotta disinfect it."

"Oh," Rephaim mumbled, halting his hands retreat. Stevie Rae grabbed the disinfecting spray out of the kit, and Rephaim, yet again, held back a wince and made his hand stay where it was even though the stuff stung.

"Okay, now I just gotta bandage it, and then it'll be done," she said, trading the spray for a roll of bandages.

Rephaim nodded.

"So, um," Stevie Rae started as she started to wrap the bandages around his hand, "where did you learn to fight like that?"

"Fight like what?" Rephaim asked.

"Like, oh, you know, that. You just fought Dallas, and I'm wonderin' where you learned to fight."

"Oh, uh…would you believe nowhere?" Rephaim asked.

"Nope," Stevie Rae said, finishing with his hand. "So are ya goin' to tell me?"

"You know, now would probably be a good time for me to check your head," Rephaim said, trying to change to subject.

"Fine," Stevie Rae replied as Rephaim started to unravel the bandages around her head. "So I take it ya aren't gonna tell me?"

Rephaim sighed. "It's complicated."

Stevie Rae smiled up at him. "That's alright. You don't hafta tell me if ya don't wanna. I-I was, uh, just wonderin'…"

"What?" Rephaim prompted when her voice trailed off.

"No. It's stupid. Forget I said anything," she said, looking down at the ground.

"You can tell me, Stevie Rae." Rephaim took off the last of the bandages, but before he did anything else, he cupped her face in his hands, forcing her to meet his gaze.

"I was wonderin' if, ya know, maybe you could…teachmetofightlikethatalittl etoo." She said the last part so fast that he had to take a moment to process what she'd said.

"You want me to teach you to fight?" Rephaim asked for clarification. He released her face, searching for some cream in the first-aid kit.

Stevie Rae nodded, blushing. Rephaim found what he was looking for, and he spread a little on his finger before smearing it over her cut, which wasn't looking as bad as he had originally thought it was. Now, it could be covered with only one little Band-Aid.

"Why do you want to learn to fight?" Rephaim asked as he searched for a Band-Aid that didn't have Dora or something else on it.

"I don't know. Just in case I run into him, I guess. I mean, ya can't be around all the time, right?"

Rephaim nodded in understanding. He finally found a plain Band-Aid, but he didn't say anything as he peeled the paper off.

"Well?" Stevie Rae asked as he went to put it on her head.

"I need to get home," he said, covering her cut. He turned and went to leave the kitchen. He didn't necessarily _want_ to teach her to fight, but he could see why she felt like she needed to learn.

"Wait! Is that a yes or a no?" Stevie Rae asked. She had kind of been expecting him to just say no, but she hadn't expected him to completely dodge the question.

"Yes."

"Wait, really?" Stevie Rae asked. Rephaim could hear the excitement in her voice. "Ohmygood_ness_, thank you, Reph—"

Rephaim held up a hand to cut her off. "Don't thank me yet. Your lessons will start tomorrow," he stated. "Meet me by the willow I almost crashed into before sunrise." With that, he left the kitchen, the doors swinging back and forth.

Stevie Rae stood there for a minute, inwardly screaming with excitement, but then she realized that she just had to do one thing.

Rephaim was taking down the roof to his car when she caught up with him. His back was to her, so he never saw it coming.

She ran up and hugged him hard from behind. "Thanks, Rephaim. For everything."

Rephaim didn't have time to blink nor return the embrace before she had let go of him and run back inside.

Rephaim smiled as he finished with the roof and hopped into the driver's side. It wasn't until he was sitting with his hands on the wheel that the full force of what he had just done hit him.

Because he was alone, he allowed himself to say it aloud. "What have you gotten yourself into, Rephaim?"

* * *

**A/N**

**Reviews would be much appreciated!**

**~Smiley**


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